A Song Of Love And Politics
by Dragon1990
Summary: A Naruto AU. After Suna's failed attempt to destroy Konoha, they offer Temari as a bride to Naruto in an Arranged Marriage to form a new alliance. Read how this affects the 4th Hokage and his Family as they learn to deal with the ever changing world of Shinobi Politics. A Naruto and Temari Love Story. Rated M to be safe so Mature Readers Only Please. Romance/Family/Hurt and Comfort
1. Game Of Politics

[Sunagakure]

Three months have passed now since Suna and Oto had failed in their surprise attack in an effort to destroy Konoha. Soon after, Konoha's counter attack killed a very large number of their own shinobi forces as well as Gaara actually being beaten in a one on one fight with the 4th Hokage's son. Not long after both Suna and Oto forces were driven out, it was discovered that it was Orochimaru himself who tricked them into the conflict with their old allies. He did this by killing their previous Kazekage and then taking his place in Suna. Once the truth was revealed, they immediately offered a surrender to Konoha as well as offered their own labor forces to aid the village in it's efforts to rebuild. Konoah's council accepted which began to ease tensions.

But now Suna was facing a new problem. Scouts from Iwa had been seen testing their borders so it was clear that the Tsuchikage was growing bold and looking for an opportunity to expand his borders or even launch a full scale invasion. Suna was in a very bad situation now because they currently had no alliance with Konoha who was one of the more powerful villages and they still haven't agreed on a new Kazekage. What made things even more desperate was that they had lost nearly a quarter of their own forces which left them with a crippling disadvantage if Iwa chose to go on the offensive. Even if they did have alliances with a couple of minor villages and even if they could bolster their numbers with mercs, they would still be defeated by Inwgakure.

Suna's council had agreed that the only way they could ensure their own survival was to broker a new peace treaty and a new ironclad alliance with Konoha. The only problem they had now was figuring out how they were gonna run this by Konoha. The most reasonable person they could try negotiating with was the 4th Hokage and that was out of the question. Minato Namikaze was almost killed in his battle with Orochimaru and from what Suna had learned, he was in a deep coma. In fact, they even got word that both his sensei, the legendary Sannin Jiraiya as well as his own son, Naruto Namikaze were out looking for the third Sannin, the lady Tsunade Senju. Konoha was hoping that she would be able to reawaken Minato from his coma.

Even if Jiraiya could find his old teammate and even if she could bring him back, there was no guarantee that Minato would be willing to negotiate with them since they did break their trust with them, cause huge amounts of damage to their home and conspired with one of their enemies, even if they were tricked in the end. Minato was a reasonable man but he wasn't stupid. Once he knew the situation that they were in and realized that he was now the one holding all the cards, he could very easily refuse the proposal of a new alliance and leave them to their fate at the hands of Iwa. Another scary thought was he may even want revenge and make plans to attack them personally. A fight with Iwa would be bad enough, but if Konoha were to attack...

Suna was really in deep. They had only a thin list of allies to aid them and the closest thing they had to a leader was Baki who was temporary acting Kazekage. Right now, he and the Suna council were in a heated debate on what they were gonna do and how they were gonna persuade Konoha into agreeing to a new alliance.

"Everyone Please, this argument isn't getting us anywhere!" shouted Baki over everyone else.

"Sir, we need to approach Konoha with the proposal of a new alliance." said one member to his left. "Even if it means bypassing the Hokage and speaking directly to their Council and Elders." he added.

Another council member snorted at that. "The only reasonable person we could try to negotiate with is out cold until the lady Tsunade wakes him up and there's no reason for us to believe that he'd welcome the idea of a new alliance with us." he retorted.

"I agree." replied another. "Minato would really be our only hope at peace between both our villages. The rest of their council is no doubt still angry with us for breaking our original peace treaty with them and breaking their trust. And don't even get me started on the damage we've done to their walls and village. Our labor forces are there right now trying to repair the damage we've done and it's gonna cost us quite a lot from our treasury." he finished.

"Don't even bring that up, I'm still getting a headache, thinking of those numbers." said another.

"Everyone please." said Baki again, getting them to turn back to him. "Our best chance for lasting peace is to negotiate with the Hokage once he awakens. We just need to make him an offer that he can't refuse as well as not look like we're desperate." he told them.

Everyone took another moment to calm down before one of the Elders, a man named Ebizo started up again. "Have our scouts learned anything at all about Jiraiya?" he asked.

"From what we've learned, he's made contact with Tsunade." another council member replied. "He's also taken the 4th's Son as his new Apprentice." he added.

"Naruto Namikaze?" he asked.

"The one and only." he replied.

This got another Elder's attention. Chiyo picked up the file she had of the 4th's son and started reading it more closely. Everyone kept on talking until someone decided to ask Chiyo's opinion. She looked back up from the folder to answer. "Yes?" she asked.

"Chiyo-Sama, what were you reading?" asked Baki.

"I'm looking over the file of the Namikaze Boy from Konoha." she replied. "Did you know that Naruto's first real mission outside Konoha was actually an A Rank and not a C Rank like it started out?" she asked him.

This made everyone else grow quiet from hearing that. "An A Rank?" asked another member of the council. "For a Genin fresh out of the Academy?" he added.

"Indeed." she replied. "I didn't think much of him the first time I heard of him given his records at the Academy. It says here that he graduated at the age of twelve years old, rather then ten like his Father Minato. Also he only made seventh in his class on graduation day instead of first like the Hokage did when he was a boy." she told them.

"But what else did we miss?" asked the man to her right.

"Naruto Namikaze, along with his Teammates Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, under the leadership of their Squad Jonin Kakashi Hatake, were involved with the downfall of Kingpin Gato and the death of the Terrorist Zabuza Momichi, Demon of the Hidden Mist." she told them.

"That was him?" asked a council member who was sitting next to Baki.

"It's not too clear at all in what part he played, but Kakashi says that Naruto's aid was crucial in their fight with the former Kiri Ninja while Sasuke and Sakura kept their client safe from harm." she replied.

This got several members to start talking quietly to one another. "How strong can he be, that he's the one Kakashi chooses to have aid him in battle, and not a member of the Uchiha Clan?" asked one member.

"A fair question." replied Baki. "I was present during the Chunin Exams and have seen him fight first hand. In the preliminaries, he'd beaten the male heir to the Inuzuka Clan despite having clear speed disadvantage and even more amazing, he'd beaten the Hyuuga Lord's nephew Neji Hyuuga. The only people who weren't surprised it would seem were his Mother and Father who witnessed the whole thing." he explained.

"What are his skills?" asked the member to Baki's right.

"The Boy has learned Jonin level Kage Bunshin and is skilled enough to use them quiet effectively in combat, as well as Kenjutsu training." he answered. "In fact, Temari reported that he was able to summon one thousand clones in his battle against Gaara." he told them.

This made every jump to their feet in shock from that. "There's no way!" shouted one member. "Nobody has that kind of chakra, not even a Jonin!" he protested.

"Temari's claim that there were a thousand certainly seems like an exaggeration." Baki replied. "But there's no denying that Naruto Namikaze has far more chakra than your average Genin. And that's not all." he added.

"There's more?" asked another member.

"Please, go on." said another.

"Naruto Namikaze has learned and is able to apply in combat, the 4th Hokage's Rasengan." Baki answered. "In fact, Temari mentioned in her report that Naruto used it to beat Gaara and thus ending their fight." he finished.

This silenced everyone at the council table. Thinking about it now, it all made perfect sense. Even if he didn't graduate at the same age as his own father did or even have the same high scores he did, that didn't mean that they should overlook his capabilities. Raised and no doubt trained by his father in the shinobi arts from a young age and then receiving new training from his new sensei, the copy ninja Kakashi and from what the reports said, Naruto was now under the wing of one of the Sannin. It made perfect sense as to why Gaara was in such a mess when Temari and Kankuro brought him back. For years, the late Kazekage tried many different methods to kill him from Tracker Ninja to Jonin Elites and they couldn't even scratch him.

But of all the people to defeat him in combat, it was a Genin from another village. If Naruto was able to do what none of their own were able to do, there was no telling how powerful he was gonna be once he'd reach the rank of Chunin or even Jonin. And at the age of thirteen, how strong could he become at sixteen or even eighteen? If Naruto Namikaze was as strong as they feared, they were in more of a desperate situation than they originally thought. The need for a new alliance with Konoha could never be more clear now. Suna needed to prove how sorry they really were and they needed to restore the bond they once had with their former ally if Suna was gonna survive in the months to come. For if Iwa doesn't destroy them, Konoha could.

"It's clear that we have to cement a new alliance with Konoha." said someone finally. "Does anyone have any ideas?" he asked.

"What else could we possibly offer them?" asked another. "We've agreed to repair the damages done to their village free of charge as well as handed over any and all information we had on Oto and Orochimaru." he told them.

Ebizo was quiet for a long time before finally speaking up. "I believe that I have an idea." he said, getting everyone else's attention. "In fact, not only will this cement a new alliance between us and the Leaf, but it could work out for us in the long run later down the road." he told them.

"What did you have in mind Ebizo-Sama?" asked the man to his left.

"I understand that Naruto is Minato and Kushina's only living Son. Is that correct?" he asked.

"Um, yes sir." he replied. "He's the son and heir to both the Namikaze and Uzumaki bloodlines. They have no other children." he told him.

"Then it must be of the up most importance that both of those bloodlines are preserved." said Ebizo. "With their only child going on missions as dangerous as A Rank, their Council must be looking for any means by which to secure the future of the Namikaze and Uzumaki names." he he added.

"Where are you going with this sir?" asked another.

Ebizo leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table in front of him. "I believe that it's time we reopen an old tradition with Konoha. A tradition that hasn't been used since the end of the 1st Shinobi World War." he told them. "I believe that we should offer one of our Kunoichi as a Bride to Naruto Namikaze in an arranged marriage between Suna and Konoha." he finished.

Everyone else started looking around left and right as the conversation started to pick up in response. This was actually a good idea. It was one of the responsibilities of a village leader and their council to preserve Shinobi Bloodlines and with Naruto being the last known heir of two clans, the need to have him marry and preserve his family's lineage was something that the Hokage couldn't ignore. Furthermore, it was common practice for the children of village leaders to have their children be used in marriage arrangements for political reasons and the need now had never been greater. If the Hokage were to agree to the match, then Suna would be saved by the new alliance because part of the treaty would involve aiding the other village in times of war.

"But who should we offer to him?" asked one member.

"That's a good question." replied another. "We need her to be someone that they would certainly accept. She needs to be a capable Kunoichi but definitely close to his age. Any thoughts on that?" he asked.

There were a few names brought up, but nobody seemed to agree on a young lady that they thought Konoha would be willing to accept. After a few more names, Ebizo spoke up again. "I believe that we should offer Temari." he told them.

"I don't think we should give up Temari." said Baki. "She is our late Kazekage's Daughter and one of our best Genin." he told him. Truth was, Baki was her sensei and the idea of losing her was hard on him. He's worked with the Kazekage's children as their sensei for a long time now. Rasa was an old friend of his and after they discovered that Orochimaru had killed him, he made a silent promise to watch over his children for him for as long as he was able to. But now it seemed that Temari was gonna be offered to Konoha.

"I believe she's the perfect choice." Ebizo replied. "She's not only a capable Shinobi in her own right, but she's the Kazekage's Daughter. Konoha's Council will see it as the appropriate match. The Son of Konoha's 4th Hokage, marrying the Daughter of Suna's 4th Kazekage would be symbolic to many as a new era of peace between our villages." he told him.

"I agree with Ebizo." said Chiyo. "I believe that it's time for the Kazekage's Daughter to fulfill her duty to the Village as a Kunoichi and take upon herself this task in marrying the Hokage's Son for the sake of peace between our villages. Such unions have been useful in the past to ensure peace even between the bitterest of rivals and I believe that the time has called for it." she explained.

"Listen to the both of yourselves for a moment." spoke another member of the council from across the table. "You just wanna hand over one of our most promising Kunoichi, just like that?" he asked.

Ebizo was the one to answer. "Temari's records will make it difficult for them to say no." he told him. "Furthermore, the both of them are very strong ninja, which means that any children they have will also be very strong." he added.

"That's my point." the other council member replied. "First we're giving them one of our best ninja and then you're giving them a chance to breed even more powerful ninja to further strengthen their own Village's military might. Who's to say that they won't use this against us one day? I thought that we were trying to secure peace for our Village, not grant more power to someone who may one day slit our throats." he argued.

"Hear me out." replied Ebizo. "Yes, it does grant strength to Konoha if they accept Temari which does bring great potential for them to get stronger by the children that Naruto and Temari will have together, but there's more to the offer. If they accept the offer, then Konoha agrees to a new alliance with us, one even more stronger than the one before. The union between Naruto and Temari will be not only a joining between our villages, but also between two families. Both villages are obligated to aid one another in case of attacks from our enemies because both the Bride and the Groom will have family in both Konoha and Suna. The alliance is only made stronger with the birth of a child from their union." he explained to him.

The other council member sat back and sighed before responding. "Yes, I see your point." he answered.

"Also..." Ebizo continued. "If we're able to play our cards right, maybe we can have one of their children marry back into Suna one day and then we can raise our own family of powerful ninja." he explained.

"Then I believe it is settled." said Chiyo. "Unless anyone else objects?" she asked. After about a moment of silence, she smiled. "Then we shall send word to Konoha with our offer of Temari's hand in marriage to Naruto Namikaze for a new alliance." she called.

"And maybe we should ask that they have a child as soon as possible." spoke another to which everyone seemed to agree.

"One thing though." said Baki, getting everyone to turn their attention to him. "Who's gonna be the one to tell Temari the news?" he asked.

Everyone was dead silent from hearing the question. 'I feel sorry for the poor miserable bastard who will have to tell her.' thought Chiyo. This was something nobody wanted to do because the one thing that came close to how scary Gaara could be, was his older sister.

[With Naruto And Jiraiya]

For the last couple of days, Naruto had been traveling with his godparents Jiraiya and Tsunade as well as his surrogate sister Shizune. They were about five days away from Konoha and for the fifth time in a row, Naruto sneezes.

"Kid, are you sure that you're okay?" asked Jiraiya. "You've been sneezing nonstop since this morning. I hope you're not coming down with anything." he told his student.

"I'm sure it's nothing." replied Naruto who walked with his hands behind his head. "I don't get sick because of the Fox, remember?" he asked him.

"Well regardless, I'd like to give you a check up once we get back to the Village." said Tsunade. "Better to be safe than sorry." she added.

"Okay, but only after you wake Dad up." Naruto told her, eager to see his father awake again so they could start up their training.

"Deal." she said with a smile.

[With Temari And Her Brothers]

Temari was in the living room of her family's mansion while Kankuro was working on his puppet and Gaara was looking out over the village which has become this new hobby of his ever since he'd came back to Suna and recovered from his fight with that crazy blonde kid who thrashed him. Suddenly, Temari reached over to a tissue box that was on an end table next to the couch she was sitting on so she could bring it up to her nose and sneeze.

"Sis, are you sure that you're okay?" asked Kankuro. "You've been sneezing like that all day." he remarked.

Temari wadded it up and tossed in to the garbage can in the corner of the room before she sat back in her seat. "I'm fine." she replied before picking up her book again. "I'm sure it's nothing." she told him.

[Konohagakure]

At the very moment, Konoha's Council was meeting in the council chambers. With Minato in a coma, his wife refused to be involved and just wished to remain by his side at the hospital. Jiraiya wasn't there either, given that he and Naruto were out looking for Tsunade. Therefore, the people who were there were the Elders Homura, Koharu and Danzo, along with many of the clan lords and ladies. Among them were Hiashi Hyuuga, Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Shibi Aburame, Tsume Inuzuka and Itachi Uchiha. They were currently going over everything that's been happening lately and what their next move was gonna be. Each of them had some files and various papers out in front of them which contained reports they'd been getting.

"Itachi, what news have you received?" Tsume asked him.

Itachi brought up a piece of paper with a report on it. "From what my spies have learned, Iwa has been testing the borders of Suna. Chances are, they may wish to invade." he replied.

"Good, let Suna burn and we'll be done with em." she remarked.

Tsume, along with many other people in Konoha still were sore with Suna for the attack. They were fine with the offer for a surrender but they weren't too eager to try negotiating with them again anytime soon.

"Suna's problems are there own." said Hiashi. "However, we must look to our own borders." he said, bringing up his own sheet. "Ever since Minato was hospitalized, we've seen on more than one occasion scouts from Kumo in our territory. I'm hoping that they're simply doing a recon, but I get the feeling they may wish to try and invade us, now that we're no longer allies with Suna." he told them.

Homura sighed at that. "Then we should hope that Tsunade will be able to reawaken the Hokage before it comes to full scale war with the Cloud." he said. "Any word at all on Jiraiya and Naruto's progress?" he asked.

"Jiraiya has sent word that they've found her and are on their on their way." replied Choza. "They should be coming home in the next five days." he added.

"Very good." replied Homura.

Just then, a member of the Foundation appeared next to Danzo and handed him a note. He opened it and took a few to read through it.

"What is it Danzo?" asked Koharu.

Danzo didn't answer but he did get up and excuse himself from the council before exiting the room. Homura and Koharu got up and left as well to follow him and find out what was on the note that the Anbu gave him.

[In The Hallway]

Homura and Koharu followed Danzo and caught up with him soon after leaving the rest of the council to take care of business.

"Danzo, what is it? What's that you've got there?" asked Homura to the old war hawk.

Danzo stopped and turned to the other two. "A very interesting proposal from Suna." he replied.

Homura and Koharu weren't expecting anything else from Suna so this was a bit of a surprise for them. "What sort of proposal? They've already offered their surrender to us and their labor force is already working on repairing the damage done during the fighting. What else could they offer?" asked Koharu.

Danzo hands Koharu the paper for her and Homura to read. "Read for yourselves and let me know what you both think." he told her.

Danzo watched as the two other elders took a moment to look over the message from the Sand Village. After only a couple of minutes, their eyes opened up a little wider when they got to the more interesting bit. Once they were done, Danzo took it back.

"Well, this is certainly a generous offer on Suna's behalf." Homura remarked.

"Indeed." replied Koharu. "It's clear that they're very sorry for breaking the original treaty and starting a war. This would certainly be most beneficiary in healing the wounds between both our villages." she added.

"It would also benefit us on several political levels." Danzo told her. "I believe that we should accept the terms and welcome the proposal from Suna for the arranged marriage between Temari and the Hokage's Son as well as the new peace treaty between Konoha and Suna." he told them.

Homura rearranged his glasses before speaking again. "There is only one problem though Danzo." he replied. "We wouldn't be able to get this to go through." he told him.

"Homura is right Danzo." said Koharu. "First of all, Minato is still in a coma. As the Council, we could accept this proposal, but he'd still have to authorize this with the Hokage's stamp of approval." she explained.

"And even if he wasn't in a comatose state, there's no way he and his wife would agree to this." said Homura. "The Hokage and First Lady have made it clear that they've always wanted their Son to find a wife on his own and not for political reasons, even if it would be a huge benefit to have Naruto joined in a political arrangement." he added.

"Lastely, there's the issue of the Council itself." said Koharu. "Even if we could pass this without Minato not canceling it afterwards, which of course he would, we'd need the rest of or at least the majority of the Council to agree to this as well and they wouldn't turn on their Hokage. I'm sorry Danzo, but I don't see us passing this and agreeing to the arrangement without Minato, Kushina or the Council overruling our decision." she finished.

Danzo wasn't fazed by any of that at all. "You let me worry about everything." he told them. "I'm gonna get this proposal approved and the marriage plans to move forward, whether the Hokage and First Lady like it or not." he told them.

"How?" asked Homura.

"Trust me." he replied. "Just keep everyone else out of it and let me worry about the rest." he told them.

"If I may, why are you so determined to agree to the arrangement?" asked Koharu.

"Even if Minato, Kushina or the Council is unwilling to admit this, we need this alliance." he replied. "For the longest time, the alliance we've had with Suna was crucial in preserving the peace and maintaining the delicate balance of power between the five great villages. Ororchimaru had disrupted that balance by tricking our allies into the conflict and now, we ourselves are in a partially weakened state without a Hokage and the loss of almost a fifth of our Shinobi forces. We need to agree to this proposal not only to preserve powerful bloodlines, but to restore the peace and balance between the five great villages. Minato and Kushina may not agree with my methods, but they can't question my motives. I'm looking out for the future of Konoha." he finished.

And with that, Danzo turned and left for his HQ in the Foundation to put this plan into effect, while Homura and Koharu returned to the council chambers so as to resume their duty.

[Konoha General Hospital]

Five days later, Naruto and Jiraiya would return to Konoha with Tsunade and Shizune. The first thing they did was head strait to the hospital to take a look at Minato. When they arrived, there were a couple of Anbu guards standing outside the door and a few more within the room to watch him while he slept. Near the Hokage's bed sat Kushina. She turned and was happy to see that Naruto returned home along with Jiraiya. She also had a happy reunion with Tsunade as well and was overjoyed that they were able to convince her to return to the village. Naruto watched with anxiety as Tsunade read the reports next to his bed, dying to know if she was gonna save his father. After a few minutes, Naruto smiled when Tsunade looked up and smiled as well.

"Minato's condition is critical, but not life threatening." she told both Naruto and Kushina who were relieved to hear that. Ever since Orochimaru's attack happened three months ago and Minato had fallen into his coma, Naruto, his mother and the whole village have been in a state of worry for him. "I'm gonna need some time, but I can bring him back." she promised.

"Great!" cheered Naruto. "How long should it take?" he asked, eager to see his father again.

"Now that's hard to say." she answered, putting a hand on her hip. "It could take me several hours to a few days. All I can promise is that I can reverse the damage that Orochimaru had done." she told him.

Naruto looked over to the bed where his father lay, hooked up to the life support with his heart monitor keeping track of his heartbeat. "Dad." he said sadly.

Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his mother smiling down at him. "Your Father will be alright Naruto." she promised. "Tsunade will help him. Now I think you should get home and get some rest." she told him.

"Aww, but Mom, I wanna be here when Dad gets up again." he protested.

"No buts little Mister." she replied, crossing her arms. "You heard what Tsunade said, it'll take her some time to wake him up and you've been on a long journey. Head back to the house, get some rest and I promise, I'll come and get you when your Father wakes back up." she promised.

Naruto gave a weak smile and hugged her. "Yeah, okay." he replied.

"That's my Boy." she said before giving him a quick kiss on the forehead. "Now run along and head home." she told him.

Naruto bid his godparents and surrogate sister goodbye before heading out the door and heading home. Now that he really thought about it, he was pretty tired. He'd get home, make himself an instant ramen and get some shuteye. Meanwhile, Tsunade had Kushina and Jiraiya clear the room so she and Shizune could get to work on the Hokage. From what they were able to tell, the medical staff here was able to repair the damage that Orochimaru did to Minato physically, but the psychological damage was something that was beyond their level of medical training. Tsunade made it a mental note to update everyone's training in the medical arts here because they were no doubt gonna need it. After hours of hard work, Minato would reawaken the following day.

[The Next Morning]

Kushina would be the first to shoot in through the door to the room where her husband rested when she heard that he was awake. "Minato!" she shrieked when she stormed in.

Minato sat up in his bed with Tsunade standing next to his bed and reading a clipboard that had all the information on Minato's current and previous conditions. Shizune stood off to the side with Tonton in her arms and waiting to assist her should she need it.

"Kushina." He replied with a smile, delighted to see his wife again.

The red head flashed across the room to embrace her husband and the both of them hugged one another tightly. "Minato, I missed you so much." said Kushina, trying her best not try cry. "It was so awful, having you here and yet unable to wake up and hold me in your arms." she told him.

Minato felt a lump in his throat as he laid back. "I was worried for you too Kushina." he told her. "Before I lost conscientiousness during my battle with Orochimaru, I feared what was gonna happen to my Family and Village." he confessed. "Waking up to see you and everyone else alright has brought me such relief." he finished.

It was then Jiraiya entered the room to see Minato awake which made him happy. "Welcome back Minato." he greeted.

"Sensei." Minato replied. "I suppose I should thank you for the part you played in bringing me back." he told his old friend and mentor.

"All I did was find Tsunade who woke you up." he replied. "But you should really be thanking Naruto. He was the one who convinced her to come back for your sake." he explained.

Tsunade chuckled, remembering her fight with the young blonde. "When I said I was never gonna come back to Konoha, I meant it. And yet Naruto was able to talk me into doing something that neither Jiariya or Shizune were ever able to do." she said with a smirk. "You should be proud Minato, your Son can be very persuasive." she told him.

Minato smiled hearing that and looked over to Kushina. "Where is Naruto?" he asked her. "Where is our Boy?"

It was then Danzo entered the room unannounced. "He's currently in the Team 7 training field with Kakashi and his teammates." replied the old war hawk.

The mood slightly darkened in the room. Minato and Kushina in general were never really big fans of Danzo. Out of all the elders, he was the most authoritarian. Both of them have been having to turn down his "Offer" to train Naruto for years because they didn't want him using their son for his own personal gain. Furthermore, Danzo had always been searching for ways to exercise power that wasn't his to use and run Konoha in his own way. Minato's never been able to bust him yet for doing any of these things, do to lack of evidence, but he's kept a very close eye on him ever since he was named 4th Hokage. Before he retired, Hiruzen warned Minato that Danzo could be a powerful ally in defending Konoha, but also a dangerous enemy if you make him one.

"I am glad to see that you've awakened at last Minato." said Danzo as he entered the room. "And I'm pleased to see that Jiraiya was successful in his mission to find Tsunade." he then turns to face the blonde medic ninja. "Tsunade, welcome home. I hope you'll be staying from now on. Konoha could really use your expertise as a medic in the future." he told her.

"I do plan on staying yes." she replied with her hands on her hips. "I still have problems with Konoha and there's a lot I'm trying to deal with, but it's very nice to see my Godson again." she told him.

"So what do you want Danzo?" asked Kushina in a calm but firm tone.

"I need to speak with your Husband about a matter that requires the Hokage's full attention." he answered.

Minato sat up in his bed but remained calm. "I've only been awake now for a few hours Danzo. What could be so important that it couldn't wait till I got back to the office?" he asked him.

Danzo brought out from the folds in his robes a piece of paper. "It's a matter that effects the whole village." he answered. "And it involves your Son." he added.

Minato and Kushina really didn't like the sound of that. "Let me see that." Minato ordered, holding his hand out.

Danzo handed him the parchment and waited. Kushina, Jiraiya and Tsunade watched as Minato first read it calmly but as he continued reading, his eyes grew wider and wider until he reached the end. Then much to everyone's surprise, the blonde Hokage turned in his bed and stood up on his feet. He then turned to Danzo looking angry. "You cannot be serious!" he shouted.

Kushina got up and walked over to her husband, looking worried for him. "Minato, Honey what is it, what's wrong?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Minato handed her the paper so she could read it as well while he just started Danzo dead in the eye. Jiraiya and Tsunade watched with raised brows as Kushina was looking more and more upset as she continued reading the document her husband handed her. When she was done, she crumpled it in her hand and glared at Danzo in rage. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" she shrieked.

Danzo remained calm as the young couple confronted him. "I believe that you both know exactly what that is Kushina." he replied. "That contract you're holding is a proposal from Sunagakure for a new Alliance between them and us, bound together in an arranged marriage between one of their Kunoichi and your Son." he finished.

"WHAT?!" shouted both Tsunade and Jiraiya in unison. Shizune stood where she was with her mouth gaping at what she heard.

"I believe I've already made it clear." he retorted. "Naruto is to be wed to the young Kunoichi from Suna when she arrives to form a new alliance between the Leaf and Sand Villages." he said plainly.

"Did you agree to this while I was in a coma?" asked Minato, still mad at the older shinobi before him.

"I haven't sent word to Suna yet that we agreed to their offer no." he replied. "We still need the Hokage's approval before we can reply with an answer. I'm hear to tell you that you will agree to this and that your Son will marry the Suna girl when she arrives." he told him.

"And who the hell are you to order me or my Husband around?" snapped Kushina. "Last time we checked, the Hokage's authority is above yours, not the other way around." she told him.

"Kushina's right." replied Minato. "If we want a new alliance with Suna, I'd be happy to negotiate with them, but I'm not forcing Naruto into an arranged marriage simply because you're ordering me to do it." he told him.

Danzo then reached into his robes again to bring out another document. "But this order doesn't come from me." he replied. "It comes from the Daimyo." he told them, holding out the parchment for them to see. Minato and Kushina's eyes widened as they read the executive order given to him from the Lord of the Land of Fire whose signature they recognized at the bottom. "Since you were in a coma, I believed it best to bring this issue to the highest authority in the Land of Fire. He deemed it an appropriate solution to the situation with our villages and has given the order for Naruto to be wed to the Bride that Suna has offered. You dare not defy the orders given to you by our Daimyo, Hokage or not." he finished.

Minato and Kushine knew that there wasn't anything that they could do now. They were aware that Danzo was certainly the sort to use such dirty tactics but this was a very cunning move. Minato could only guess that it was Danzo's Foundation that brought him this information without the rest of the council knowing. If this proposal were brought to the whole council, they would have stopped Danzo from passing this along to be approved until Minato and Kushina could have a say in it. And given that the man had a rep for negotiating, it would have made sense that he'd persuade the Daimyo to go along with Suna's proposal. Without a Hokage, the Daimyo's influence was often needed to make decisions that would effect the village.

What made things even more annoying was Danzo didn't do anything illegal at all really. He simply played the law to his advantage legally so that he could forward his own agenda. The game of politics was a dirty business in life and Danzo was one of the best players there was. And now, despite the both of them wanting to avoid forcing Naruto into this, they were gonna have to agree to have Naruto go through with the arrangement with the girl from Suna. They both knew that this was gonna break his heart.

"So, shall you be the ones to inform Naruto of his new engagement, or shall I?" asked Danzo to the young couple before him.

Minato stepped forward and looked him dead in the eye. "If anyone's gonna tell my Son about this, it's his Mother and I." he told him sternly. "Not you." he added.

The elder then handed them a file he was holding before turning and making his way out the room. "Then I suggest that you tell him soon." he said, not looking back. "The sooner, the better." he finished before the door closed.

Minato turned to Kushina and hugged her as she laid into him. "Minato." she said, trying not to sob.

"I know." he replied.

"Minato, it's not fair." she said sadly. "You and I had a chance to find love on our own time. Now we have to deprave Naruto of that choice?" she asked.

Minato gently kissed her on the forehead. "Kushina, I don't like this anymore than you do." he told her. "But we can't be too surprised that it was probably gonna come to this." he said to which she looked up at him. "You and I both knew that once I became Hokage, we were gonna have to make very difficult decisions one day and the possibility that Naruto would be married for political reasons was probably gonna be one of those decisions. Even being Hokage, there are things that are beyond my control and this is now one of those things." he explained.

"I know." she replied. "I remember the talks from when we first learned that I was carrying him. I just...I just thought since you and I really wanted him to find his own way, that we'd never have to worry about the whole political garbage. And now that it's finally here, I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that we're gonna have to force our boy into a marriage with someone he doesn't know" she told him.

Minato let her go and then took her by that hands. "This may not be the ideal dream that we had for our Son, but this could still turn out well for him." he told her with a hopeful smile. "We're just gonna need to be careful in how we break this news to him and help him understand that this isn't a terrible thing either." he told her.

"I know." she replied. Kushina remembered that Mito Uzumaki, the Jinchuuriki before her was married to Hashirama Senju in an arranged marriage as well and she told her that they were very happy together. But then her thoughts drifted back to her boy. "But Minato, he's only thirteen years old. That's just so young for someone to be married and then be expected to father and raise children." she told him.

Minato nodded his head at that. "We'll work something out with Suna to make things easier on him." he replied. "We may not be able to get him out of this arrangement, but that doesn't mean we can't sweeten the deal for him in the days to come." he added.

Kushina smiled and hugged her husband again before letting him go. "So, who's the lucky girl?" she asked him.

"Well if you must know, her name is Temari." replied Jiraiya. Both husband and wife turned to see the old toad sage reading the file that Danzo had left them. He seemed to have grabbed it while they were having their little moment together. "And I gotta say, she's a real Cutie." he remarked, looking at her photo.

Tsunade grabbed the folder from him before bopping him on the head and then handing the folder back to Minato. Kushina read it over his shoulder as well while looking at the lovely young woman in the photo who had sandy blonde hair and teal green eyes. "Well, she is very pretty." Kushina commented. "And her name, why does it sound familiar?" she asked, looking over to her husband.

Minato answered while still looking over her file. "That's the same name of the late Kazekage's Daughter." he told her. "Rasa had three children and Temari was both his oldest and only Daughter." he explained. Minato then turned to face Kushina. "I don't know if you remember or not, but I've had to meet with the 4th Kazekage several times before. I've only seen Temari once before, not including the most recent Chunin Exams and that was when she was still a very little girl. Two or three I think." he told her.

Kushina's eyes widened at the realization. "That's right, she was the young lady who was teammates with...Oh." she said, her smile dropping when she remembered Gaara.

"Fate is cruel to us." said Minato, remembering Gaara and how he killed his enemies with no pity or remorse. "Naruto's probably gonna need more help with this than we thought." he added.

"When is the best time to talk to him about this?" she asked.

Minato took a moment to think on that. "We'll talk about it with him over dinner and then we'll talk to his team and friends about it too before we make the news public." he answered. "We've got a lot of work to do in the months ahead." he added.

Minato and Kushina didn't know how they were gonna make this sort of thing work out for Naruto at all really. What they were hoping was he could win over someone from his class or even one of those lovely young ladies from one of Konoha's most respected clans like one of the Hyuuga or Uchiha girls. But clearly, fate has chosen Naruto to be wed to a kunoichi from another village and for political reasons. But one thing was certain, they weren't gonna let their son be trapped in a cold and loveless marriage for the sake of political face. They were gonna help him find love and happiness with Temari and hopefully, for her with him as well. The only thing they had to figure out now, was how to tell Naruto in a way that wouldn't crush him.

[Author's Notes] So as you can all tell, I've made some major changes to the original first chapter of the story and I'm not just talking about either the length or the writing style. One of the things I've faced strong criticism for in the past was how lazy my writing was for the beginning when it seemed like Minato could have stopped it all. I felt like making a situation that neither he nor Kushina would be able to stop from happening. I mean, let's face it, when the Daimyo gives an order, who can top that?

Anyway, this isn't the only chapter that I plan on rewriting. I plan on doing the same with all previous chapters, as well as making some major changes to the second and third chapter as well. This should make for a far better story I'm hoping and also tie in well with the rest of it.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my work, please leave me either a Review or a PM on what you think and if you have any thoughts or ideas then please shoot them to me cause I love hearing from you guys.

This is Dragon1990 signing out.


	2. Plans For A Wedding

[Sunagakure]

"I'M GONNA BE WHAT?!" screamed a furious young blonde woman who's voice carried across half her village.

The woman in question was the first born and only daughter of the late Kazekage. Temari and her younger brothers Kankuro and Gaara were currently relaxing in their family estate when they were paid a surprise visit from their sensei Baki. He came to tell them that Suna was planning on restoring political relations with Konoha and forging a new alliance through the old tradition of marriage arrangement. All the while he talked, they couldn't help but notice that he was sounding a little nervous which was really unlike him. That's when Temari asked what it had to do with them and he explained that she was their village's chosen bride. At first, there was a dead silence. Kankuro stood with a gaping jaw at his older sibling and even Gaara looked shocked.

Seconds later, she snapped. Temari scared Kankuro shitless when she exploded over hearing how she was gonna be offered to some foreign ninja like some prize to be won. In her mind, Konoha won, Suna was desperate now and offering her like a spoil of war so that the council and the village could sleep at night. The young blonde woman was now holding her fan out in front of her and looking like she was about to club Baki to death with it. Baki had his hands up and his back to the table with sweat pouring down the side of his face that was visible while trying to calm her down. Gaara was the only one in the room who remained calm after hearing the news about Temari being wed off to a Konoha ninja. He was surprised, but calm about it none the less and just watched.

"Temari, calm down." said Baki, trying to bring the enraged blonde teen under control.

"I think I may have misheard you Sensei." said Temari with an angry smirk and not lowering her weapon. "Could you please repeat yourself? Because I could have sworn I heard you say that I was being given away to another village like a peace prisoner." she finished.

Baki straitened up a bit and hardened his look before responding. "Temari, you heard what I said." he told her. "You have been chosen to represent Suna in our efforts to rebuild our friendship with Konoha. We need to show them that we're truly sorry for what we did and that we want to rebuild the alliance we once had with them." he explained.

"But why are you giving me away?!" she yelled. "You can negotiate with the Hokage for a new peace treaty, I hear he's reasonable so why do you feel like I should be given over to them?" she asked.

"First of all, this wasn't my decision." he replied. "It was both the Council and our Elder's choice to cement a new peace treaty with an arranged marriage. Secondly, I actually tried to talk them out of offering you and someone else if they felt an arranged marriage was needed but the decision was unanimous among everyone else and I wasn't able to change their minds." he told her.

Temari was quiet for a moment before actually throwing her fan down and cursing. "This is bullshit!" she shouted. "I cannot go through with this Sensei, I can't do this, I won't!" she affirmed.

"Temari, if you don't go through with this, then Suna risks open war with Iwa and possibly even Konoha." replied the Jonin. "Is that really what you want for your Village? To condemn your people to death and destruction at the hands of our enemies?" he asked her.

Temari was very bright for her age. In her youth, she was educated in politics and diplomacy. She understood full well where Baki was coming from and she knew that he was right. Suna was in a very bad position at the moment with enemies at their borders and only a thin list of allies they could call on. In the past, their alliance with Konoha was not only beneficial for them, but also of great strategic importance in keeping Iwagakure from trying anything like an invasion. It was stupid on so many levels, even if they were tricked by Orochimaru and Oto into attacking Konoha and it's not just because of the heavy casualties they suffered. Even if they offered their surrender, they had a hostile relationship with Konoha and Iwa on their borders.

Now her village needed her more than ever and she's been called upon for a very important duty. One that will demand that she leave behind her family, her home and her way of life. Temari clenched her fist and looked down with anger still in her teal green eyes.

"I hate this." she said finally.

Baki sighed and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know." he replied. "But Temari, this is the most important mission you will ever undertake for you village. We need you now more than ever and this will not be forgotten." he told her.

Temari took a deep breath to try and bring her emotions back under control before replying. "So who is he?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who am I...going to marry?" she asked him.

"I'm afraid I don't know that yet." he lied to which she raised her brow in response. "I mean it. The Council didn't say who it was they've chosen so I can only assume that they're gonna wait until the Hokage has given his answer. Hopefully it shouldn't take more than a couple of days to get a response." he told her. The truth was that Baki didn't want to risk really making her mad by telling her that they've chosen the guy who beat up her little brother. Not while she was still in battle mode. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to return to the Council and resume my duties." he told them before turning and leaving the three of them alone in their dining room.

Temari stood there for a moment in silence, running everything through her head before Kankuro decided to break the ice.

"Well, that was an interesting way to start the morning." he said, getting her to turn to him with an angry stare. "Is it too soon to say con-" he was cut off when she cut him off.

"Cram it Kankuro!" she shouted.

Both brothers then saw that she went from looking angry to very distraught and she looked like she was losing her balance.

"Temari, are you alright?" Gaara asked his older sister.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." she replied.

Kankuro and Gaara watched as Temari took off to the nearest bathroom where they could hear her throwing up. Kankuro then turned to his younger sibling a second later.

"Hell of a way to start our morning. Right Bro?" he asked him.

Gaara ignored him and headed over to see his sister. Gaara had changed a lot lately over the last three months. His older siblings didn't know where this came from at all but Gaara had really opened up to the both of them in ways they thought that he never would. In so short a time, Gaara had gone from being a dangerous and murderous lunatic to the little brother who really cares about his older siblings. Gaara came over to see Temari had finished and was now sitting on the floor of the bathroom while holding her legs to herself. Truth told, she always knew that there was a chance she was gonna be chosen for a political marriage one day, given that she was the Kazekage's daughter. But now that the day has come, it's made her sick to her stomach.

One of the ideas that she dreaded the most was the possibility that she'd be married off to some powerful noble who was twice her age. She then looked back up to see Gaara looking down at her with genuine concern in his eyes.

"Temari." he said with worry in his voice.

Temari stood back up to her feet before him. "I'm fine now Gaara." she told him. "I'm just trying to wrap my mind around this." she added.

Gaara was able to tell that this was very hard on her and truth be told, it was pretty hard on him too. Over the last few months, although it was a very slow process, he had been opening up to Kankuro and Temari and learning to grow closer to the both of them. He was learning how to have a relationship with his older siblings and it was making him feel real happiness for the first time in a long time in his life. And now, it seemed like he was gonna lose her and it broke his heart.

"I don't know who's been chosen to be your Husband, but whoever he is, if he ever hurts you in any way, I'll kill him." he promised.

Temari was actually surprised by that but strangely enough, she was actually touched by that. In his own way, Gaara was showing her how much he really cared for and was looking out for her.

"Thank you Gaara." she said with a weak smile.

"You're my Sister Temari." he replied. "Kankuro is my Brother and that makes you both people who're precious to me. With Father gone, you're the only family I have left and I desire nothing more then to protect you in any way I can." he told her.

Temari couldn't help it now but lean forward and embrace him in a firm but gentle hug. Gaara wasn't expecting this kind of physical contact with her but given that his sand didn't rise up to shield him like it did whenever he was in danger, he concluded that he wasn't threatened in any way. He wrapped his arms around her to hug his sister back and for a moment, he enjoyed this. Her embrace was warm and comforting which was a feeling that he really liked.

[Konoha At The Namikaze Compound]

Naruto was having dinner with his parents that evening. He was thrilled that his dad was okay in the end. Seeing him standing and speaking again brought great relief. Now he was at the dinning room table having his evening meal while telling his mom and dad about his mission with Jiraiya in looking for Tsunade and convincing her to come home. Minato and Kushina were listening and they were very proud of how hard he's been working lately, but they were still contemplating on how they were gonna break the news to him about his engagement to the Suna girl. How are you supposed to tell your child that someone has just made a decision that's gonna make such an impact on your life? How are parents supposed to tell their kid this?

By now, Naruto had already finished and grabbed his plate to take to the kitchen. "Thanks for dinner Mom, it was great." he told her before getting ready to get up.

Minato and Kushina looked to one another and without saying a word, the agreed that it was time to tell him. "Naruto, can you wait just a moment? Your Father and I need to speak with you." said Kushina.

Naruto froze where he stood at first. 'Oh crap, they didn't find out that Jiraiya took me out on one of his "Research" trips did they?' he thought to himself. He the turned and took his seat at the table, waiting for his folks to start talking.

Minato decided to start off and took a deep breath before beginning. "Naruto." he paused. "You know your Mother and I love you right?" he asked him.

Naruto was relieved when his dad didn't catch on about his trip with Jiraiya. "Well yeah, of course and I love you too." he answered with a smile.

"And you know that we want what's best for you right?" asked Kushina to her son.

"Um, yeah why?" he asked.

Minato leaned forward on his elbows. "Because we're about to ask you to do something that's gonna be very uncomfortable for you to do." he answered.

"...Like what?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Recently, we've received a message from Suna." he began. "The Sand Village wishes to further improve diplomatic relationships and restore the friendship that they once had with us." he told him.

Naruto wasn't expecting to hear more about Suna so soon. He remembered reading about how they've surrendered after only one major battle and he was glad that they were able to avoid another war with one of the most powerful villages.

"Okay that's great." he said with a grin, only for it to vanish. "But what does it have to do with me?" he asked with a brow raised.

His parents decided to stop dancing around this and just be strait forward with it. They told him how Suna sent a message with their proposal on an arranged marriage between one of their kunoichi to one of Konoha's ninja. They then explained that he was the one who was selected to be the groom and how his father had to stamp and approve the match before sending a message back to Suna telling them that they agreed to it. At first, Naruto just sat in his chair with a blank look on his face, kinda frozen where he was as if he didn't quite catch what his dad just told him. Within moments though, it all came rushing back and young blonde boy reacted just how his folks kinda thought he would. He didn't take it well at all.

"WHAT?!" he screamed to the top of his lungs, causing the whole house to rumble.

Minato and Kushina sat there with their ears ringing as Naruto freaked out over the news. He stood to his feet and slammed his hands on the table.

"What do you mean I'm getting married?!" he shouted to his father.

Minato laced his fingers and put them down before him on the table before responding. "It means Naruto that you're getting married." he replied. "You are now engaged, betrothed, affianced, you have been selected to be the Ninja from Konoha who'll marry the chosen Kunoichi from Suna to cement a new alliance between both our villages in a Marriage Treaty. I don't know how else I can say it in a manner that makes sense to you." he explained to his son.

"But I can't get married!" he protested. "I'm not old enough, I don't even know her and I...well that is..." Naruto lost track as he was thinking about Sakura.

For a very long time now, he had such strong feelings for his pink haired teammate. Sakura had rejected him many times before (And not the most graciously) but he'd always hoped that if he just acted really nice to her, then maybe she'd change her mind and give him a chance. It was one of his hopes that Sakura would say yes and go out with him like he asked her over and over. But now, he felt that all of that was coming to an end now. His parents were telling him that he was gonna be forcefully married off for political reasons and to a complete and total stranger no less. Kushina felt for him as well. She knew that Naruto really liked Sakura and she liked her too. She knew this was gonna be a heavy blow to her son.

"Naruto, I'm afraid that neither of those statements are entirely true." Minato replied, bringing his hands up under his chin. "First of all, yes. It is very unusual for someone of your age to be selected as a marriage candidate or be legally married to someone in general. But you must remember that you're no longer a child in the eyes of the village." he said which got his son's full attention. "When a student graduates the Academy, receives his or her Hitai Ate and joins a squad as all Ninja do, by law, you must re recognized as an adult. Unlike civilians who have to wait until they turn eighteen to become adults, Shinobi are recognized as such earlier because of all the dangerous missions they go on for a living." he explained to him.

"Espionage, Information Reconnaissance, Theft and Assassination." he listed off to him. "These are things Ninja do all the time. It's not a game for little kids and this made clear to all students when the enter the Academy. You don't send children on missions like these and you certainly don't organize them into regiments and brigades as soldiers during times of war either. I'll make it simple. The day Iruka gave you your headband, your childhood came to an end and your life as an adult began. And that means that you're entitled to all of the rights, privileges and responsibilities of being an adult. You can gamble, smoke, drink, move out and get a house of your own and like you will very soon, get married and raise a family." he told him.

Naruto stood for a moment, wide eyed at that statement before dropping back down into his chair to think things over. Now that he really thought about it, during his trip with Jiraiya alone, he'd done and gone to a lot of places that usually adults would go to like bars and pubs. Usually, children or anyone under the age of eighteen aren't permitted to enter but they'd see Naruto's headband and they'd figure "If you're old enough to kill, you're old enough to drink." so they'd let him sit and not question it. The dangerous missions he went on like the mission to the Land of Waves with Kakashi and his teammates certainly wasn't a trip to the beach or an amusement park for kids. He had to admit that his dad made a hell of a good point.

"And secondly, you actually do know your Bride-to-be Naruto." his father continued. "Or at least, you've already met her by now. She's the same young lady who came here and took part during the Chunin Exams, Temari." he told him.

Naruto was surprised when he heard her name and thought for a second on why it sounded familiar. Then the image of a teen girl who wore her blonde hair up in four spiky pigtails and wielding a giant fan came to his mind. His eyes widened when he realized who he was thinking of.

"I'm marrying Gaara's Big Sister?!" he freaked.

"So you do know her?" asked Kushina to her son.

"Barely." he replied. "I mean, I was there when she and her Brothers came to our village before the Exams started and I ran into them a couple of times all throughout. I saw her one more time after my battle with Gaara when she and Kankuro picked Gaara up and retreated after things went south for Suna and Oto. But in all honesty, I don't think she and I have ever said two direct words to one another." he answered.

Minato nodded his head at that. "Well, you're gonna have plenty of time to talk to and get to know her before your big day." he told him. "Temari should be coming in about a month so we're gonna help you prepare for her arrival so you can make a good first impression. I promise that your Mother and I are gonna help you out." he finished.

Naruto was getting more and more upset as this went on. "Why me?" he asked his parents. "And why to her?!" he yelled at the thought.

Minato sighed and leaned forward on his elbows. "I could give you a list of reasons as to why the both of you have been selected." he told him. "For starters, it's safe to say that given both of your heritage, it's an appropriate match." he explained to him.

"Our heritage?" he asked him.

"Naruto, you said that you never really spoke to Temari when she came to Konoha months ago right?" he asked to which he nodded. "Then I bet you'd be surprised to know that she is the first born and only Daughter of the Late Kazekage of Sunagakure." he explained.

Naruto's eyes really widened at that. "I...didn't see that coming." he admitted.

"It has been for a long time and still is a practice for the children of village leaders to be joined together in arranged marriages for political reasons." he continued. "Suna wants to restore the relationship they once had with us and they believe that this would be the best way to show how sincere they are in their intentions." he finished.

"The Son of Konoha's 4th Hokage marrying the Daughter of Suna's 4th Kazekage would be seen as a very symbolic union." his mother added. "It would serve as an example of the new friendship between out villages." she finished.

"But it's safe to say that it's not just your statuses as the children of village leaders either." Minato jumped in. "It's also your records." he added.

"Our records?" Naruto asked his dad.

Minato readjusted so he was more comfortable where he sat. "When we received the message containing the proposal from Suna, they asked for you by name and insisted that Temari marry you and nobody else. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that you made quite the impression on them during the Chunin Exams. They may also have liked what was within your file when we shared information." he explained.

"Furthermore." his mom cut in. "Temari also has a very impressive record for a young lady her age. She graduated top of her class and is very skilled in both strategy and Wind Style Ninjutsu. I believe that they offered her because they believed she was the best choice and they chose you because they thought you were the most suitable to be her Husband." she finished.

"All in all, once the Council read the proposal, they felt it was too good an offer to pass up." his dad continued. "We gain an old ally and a new Kunoichi to join our village while you both are joined together as Husband and Wife. An appropriate match." he finished.

Naruto looked down with his hands on the table for a moment and then his parents jumped when he slammed his clenched fists onto the table. "This is BULLSHIT!" he shouted.

"Naruto! Language!" Kushina snapped back.

Naruto stood to his feet again to yell. "Why would you guys do this to me?!" he shouted to his father who sat calmly in his chair.

Kushina was about to get mad but felt her husbands hand on her shoulder. She looked over to her and the look told her "It's okay, we'll remain calm and handle it." so she sat back down before Minato replied.

"Naruto, it wasn't our idea." he answered. "It wasn't what we wanted for you and it wasn't our decision to make." he added.

"Then why are you...?" he asked about to ask when Minato cut him off again.

"The order has come from the Lord of the Land of Fire." he answered. "It was an Executive order from him to me that I had to approve and agree to Suna's proposal." he explained.

Naruto got real quiet after hearing that before plopping right back down into his chair. "The Daimyo." he muttered just loud enough for his parents to hear.

"Naruto, your Father and I didn't want to have to make you go through this." said Kushina, feeling awful now about seeing her son's now defeated expression. "It has always been our hopes that you'd find someone on your own time and who you've chosen." she added.

"But even as Hokage, I don't have ultimate power." Minato told him. "As Hokage, my word is law in Konoha but the Daimyo is the supreme ruler of the Land of Fire. And when you're someone in my position, you learn very quickly that there are some things that are not within your control. And sometimes, that means that we have to make sacrifices." he explained.

Naruto knew now that there really was no way he was gonna get out of this one. Once the Daimyo has given the order, there's no backing out of it. Any act of defiance from here on out was almost treason. If Naruto were to refuse the Feudal Lord's orders, he could go to prison, lose his status as a ninja or both.

"I hate this." he muttered.

Naruto felt his mother who got up to come over and hug him. "I know you do." she replied lightly kissing the top of his head. "But this isn't a terrible thing Naruto, it's marriage." she told him, stepping back a bit but with her hands still on his shoulders. Minato got up as well to try and comfort his son. "Being married is a wonderful thing and even if this isn't what you had in mind, that doesn't mean this can't be happy. Your Father and I are gonna help you every step of the way with meeting Temari and we'll..." she was cut off when Naruto just backed out of her grasp and walked away. Both parents could see equal amounts of hurt and anger in his eyes as he headed to his room. "Naruto." Kushina called out, only to hear his bedroom door slam shut.

She was about to follow him when she felt Minato's hand on her shoulder. "Kushina, let him be for now." he told her.

"But Minato, he looked so..." she began.

Kushina feared this. Ever since she and Minato read the proposal and executive order given to them from the Daimyo, she dreaded what was happening now. The fact that Naruto was completely crushed by this whole marriage thing.

"We've said what we had to say." he told her. "I wanna be there for him too, but right now, Naruto is very angry and very hurt. We need to let him think about it and sleep on this so that he can get used to the idea." he told her.

Kushina leaned into her husbands arms to hold him tight and he held her too. "It's not fair Minato." she told him. "It's not fair that he has to go through this." she added.

"I know it's not." he replied. "Life can be very unfair." he told her.

[The Next Day]

The following morning, Minato called for summons of all Teams 7, 8, 9 as well as Gai's team in his office. Now that he and Kushina had the chance to talk to Naruto about his engagement to Temari, they were ready to talk to his friends and teammates. Might Gai stood off to the far right of the room with his protege Rock Lee standing in the same pose and trying to look cool and impressive while Neji Hyuuga stood in the middle of his team in a strait and proper manner with Tenten to his right who was watching Tsunade from across the room (She and Jiraiya came to offer moral support to their godson) with wide eyes that sparkled as she she marveled at her goddess. To their team's right was Team 9 under Asuma Sarutobi.

Asuma stood just behind his team with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth. In front of him was Shikamaru Nara who had his hands in his pockets as well and his usually lazy look in his eyes, like he really wanted to be finished with this meeting so he could find a tree to take a nap under. Choji Akimichi stood to his left with a bag of BBQ potato chips in his hands and stuffing his face with one handful after another while Ino Yamanaka shot glances at Sasuke and ugly looks at Sakura who noticed her. To the far left of the room was Team 8 under command of Kurenai Yuhi who stood at attendance with one hand on her hip and completely unaware of Jiraiya looking up and down her body secretly like all perverts such as him do.

Standing with her were her three Genin students. From left to right stood first Kiba Inukuka with his Ninken Akamaru tucked away comfortably in his master's coat with only his head poking out from under Kiba's chin, Shino Aburame who stood in the middle with his hands in his pocket and hiding his eyes behind his black shades and lastly, Hinata Hyuuga who was Neji's younger cousin, standing to the right of her teammates who fiddled with her fingers and blushed as she shot subtle glances at Naruto who was her crush. One of the things she couldn't help notice though, was that Naruto didn't look like himself. He looked like he didn't get a lot of sleep the previous night and was not as happy which was unusual for him. He was always happy and energetic.

Lastly was Team 7 with Kakashi Hatake standing behind his students Naruto Namikaze just in front of him, Sasuke Uchiha to his left who had his ever cranky expression while Sakura stood to Naruto's right and she was shooting death glares at Ino who wouldn't stop checking out Sasuke. The Hokage took one more look at the paper in his hand before putting it back down and resting his hands on his desk. This was gonna be a lot easier then what transpired last night when he and his wife broke the news to their son. Now he was simply wondering how they were gonna react to the news.

"Everyone, thank you for all coming so quickly." Minato began. "I have some very important news to share with all of you. Tomorrow, I plan on making an announcement to the whole village, but I believe it's important that I inform all of you first since you're the ones I've chosen for an important task." he told them.

"What is it Sensei?" asked Kakashi in his usually lazy sounding tone.

"We have received a message from Sunagakure about a week ago." The Hokage answered. "They're quite sincere in wanting to show how sorry they are for breaking our trust and attacking our village with Orochimaru. They've made a very generous offer to us in the hopes of cementing a new alliance with us by reopening an old tradition. One that hasn't been done since Lady Mito Uzumaki of Uzushiogakure immigrated to Konoha to marry the First Hokage, Hashimara Senju. They're offering one of their Kunoichi as a bride to one of our Ninja in an arranged marriage and Konoha has agreed." he explained.

"We still have arranged marriages?" asked Tenten.

"It's not as common in this day and age, but yes." he replied. "We have agreed to have what is called a Marriage Treaty with the Sand Village." he added.

The purpose of the marriage treaty was to ensure lasting peace between warring factions. When the fighting has stopped and both sides want an end to the conflict, the losing or surrendering side offers up a bride from one of their families to marry into one of the families of the victors. She immigrates to her new home and plays a role with her new husband as the symbols of lasting peace and friendship between both parties. The children they have together will also serve as examples of how successful the marriage alliance is. It was more commonly used to help bring an end to the conflict between warring clans during the first shinobi world war and it also had a hand in ending the second as well. Although not as common, it can still be used today.

"And we're really gonna follow that old tradition for peace?" asked Kurenai. "Why not just meet for a new peace treaty instead of forcing two people who barely know each other into a life long commitment?" she asked.

"I don't fault you for thinking along that line Kurenai." said Minato as he sat back. "But to be fair, this wasn't really my idea. I was still in a coma when the proposal was brought to the village so the Daimyo was the one who approved the offer once it was brought to him. I'm under orders from him to agree to Suna's offer." he told her.

"But Hokage-Sama, why would Suna go so far for a new alliance?" asked Sakura.

Minato looked to his son's teammate to answer. "If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say they're in a situation where they're in need of a new alliance with our village for their own safety." he told her. "Plus, this sort of tradition has been very useful in the past both strategically and politically. I'm sure that the Daimyo also sees our need to ally ourselves with Suna again to avoid war with our enemies like Iwa or Kumo. The problem is that it could be hard for them to try negotiating for a new treaty if most of our village already sees them as a threat or even hates them. Offering a bride to us in an arranged marriage by customs, is their way of showing how sincere they are in wanting to improve our relationships." he finished.

"Makes a lot of sense if you think about it." said Shikamaru. "Suna's greatest threat has always been Iwa from the Land of Earth. Our old alliance with them as always kept the Stone from trying to invade because they knew that we'd back them up if it came to open war. Now that they broke that treaty, they're left in a bad position." he explained.

"Shikamaru is right." replied Minato with an impressed smile. "Suna suffered heavy losses and they still haven't chosen their next Kazekage so an alliance with us may be the only thing that'll save them." he told em.

"Why even bother with em?" asked Kiba. "We're under no obligations to them at all. Suna attacked us and killed a lot of people when they did. I say if Iwa goes to war with Suna, let em burn." he said plainly.

"I suppose we could do that." replied the Hokage again. "But don't forget to look at the bigger picture. Our alliance with Suna has always kept Iwa from attack them but conversely, it's always kept Kumo from attacking us too. Our old treaty was a promise to each other that if one village was ever in need of aid, they could trust their friend and ally to assist them. We may not be in a desperate situation politically right now, but I'm sure most people in Konoha would appreciate it if they could survive one Shinobi war and then avoid another one afterword. Even if it means agreeing to an arranged marriage with the people who betrayed us and worked with our old enemy." he said, lacing his fingers under his chin. "Besides, the Daimyo has given the order so that's that." he finished.

"So when's the Bride coming to Konoha?" asked Tsunade.

"We've sent word to them that we've accepted their proposal about a day ago." replied the blonde Hokage. "They should be hearing from us in a few days after that so preparations will be underway." he said, turning back to the teens. "And that is why I've called you all here. Part of the tradition is providing a new house for the Bride and her Groom to move into together. A house was already chosen in the Groom's family compound in fact. The place isn't in very bad shape mind you, but it does need serious remodeling. That's your mission everyone. The Bride should be arriving here in about a month so you'll need to fix it up into a state fit to be seen in preparations for the arrival of this new young lady." he finished.

Sasuke scoffed at that. "Is that why you called us here?" he asked. "Having us clean and refurbish a house for some political couple? Why can't you get a labor force for the job." he added.

"Well I'd like to point out two things." he replied. "All of our masons and laborers are already busy trying to rebuild the damage done to the village. Even with the aid of Suna's own labor force, they're overwhelmed with the amount of damage to our village's houses and the walls. I would use them, but they're stretched to thin and this job cannot wait." he told everyone who all nodded or just accepted it. "Also, most of you will be working on the new house yes, but Naruto won't be." he added.

This surprised all of the younger ninja in the room. "Why's that Hokage-Sama?" asked Ino.

Kakashi suddenly had a more serious expression in his eye as he and all the other Jonin in the room were catching on. Minato was about to respond but Naruto beat him to it. He let out a sigh and turned to face her.

"Because it's my wedding I'm getting ready for." he told her.

"Huh?" asked Ino and Sakura in unison, not sure if they heard him right. Everyone else looked quite troubled at first by what Naruto said.

"Naruto is right." said the Hokage. "His Mother and I will be taking the next month to educate him in all the proceedings and preparations for the arrival of his Bride." he explained.

The silence in the room was truly defining. All of Naruto's teammates and friends, even Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru and Shino who're usually very calm and quiet started at the blonde, orange clad ninja like he had lobsters coming out of his ears with their eyes as wide as dinner plates and their jaws dropping. Naruto knew this and turned to respond to their dumbfounded expressions.

"You guys are gonna catch flies with your mouths hanging wide open like that." he told them.

Once they snapped out of it, Sakura was the first to speak. "W-W-When did this happen?" she asked with wide eyes still.

"Mom and Dad ran it by me last night during dinner." he replied. "Very soon, I'm gonna be married to a girl from Suna for a political alliance between both them and us." he told her.

"Do you even know who you're gonna marry?" Ino asked.

Naruto sighed. "Yup." he replied. "Temari of the Desert." he told them.

"Temari?" asked Ino.

"Why does that name sound..." started Sakura.

Both girls eyes shot wide open when they realized who he was talking about. They both turned to see Tenten who had this look on her face like she was thinking "Are you kidding me?"

"I know right?" he asked with a weak smirk.

"Uh...Congratulations?" asked Kiba who felt kinda bad for his old buddy.

"Thanks." replied Naruto. "Nobody's more thrilled about it then me." he remarked sarcastically.

Nobody else in the room really noticed Hinata who looked on at the boy she admired. Both her hands rose up to cling at her heart as she felt it break. For the longest time, since they first entered the academy at the age of eight, Hinata admired Naruto. She enjoyed watching him interact with his friends and how he tackled every challenge head on with such confidence. For so long, she only wished that she had that kind of belief in herself. As she grew even older, she came to really like him and later on, she loved him. She used to go to bed with all kinds of romantic dreams and fantasies of her and Naruto together and she used to curse herself for not rallying the courage to confront him and tell him how she felt. She wanted to so badly.

But now, it was all falling apart before her very eyes. The distance between her and the boy she loved seemed to grow wider and wider by the second when the harsh reality of him being married off to another girl in a political marriage shattered the dreams she used to have of him. The young Hyuuga Heiress had to fight as hard as she could to keep herself from just breaking down and crying right there in the middle of the room. Her father would scorn her for showing such weakness in public.

Minato then turned back once everyone was able to calm down. "Does anybody else have any further questions?" he asked. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Then you all have you assignments. Kakashi, I'm placing you in charge of the reconstruction efforts. I want everyone to be ready for work and to head down to my Family's Compound. This will be the address to the house." he said, handing a slip of paper to his old student. "Naruto, if you could stay please." he said to his son.

Naruto stood and watched as everyone else filed out of the room. He glanced one last time at Sakura before turning away as she was the last to leave the room.

[The Hallway]

Everyone was off to the side in the hallway with their own teams while their teachers talked. Asuma's team was currently talking with Kakashi's.

"Well, that was an interesting visit to the Hokage's" said Shikamaru.

"Tell me about it." replied Sasuke.

"I can't believe that Naruto is gonna get married." said Ino. "He's gonna be the first of our class to get married. Honestly, I never saw that coming." she added.

"Can't really say I'm too surprised." said Sasuke. "The children of village leaders and clan leaders are often chosen for arranged marriages all the time. Naruto's the Son of the 4th Hokage so it was probably only a matter of time before he was gonna be married off for some alliance. To be fair though, even I didn't expect it to be a girl from Suna." he finished.

"And not just any." said Sakura. "It's Temari who's gonna move here and become his Wife." she commented, remembering that she was also the one who thrashed Tenten during the chunin exams and had a part in attacking their village.

Shikamaru's eye twitched remembering her. "Yeah, I can't say I'm looking forward to seeing her again so soon." he remarked. "Troublesome."

Just then, Shino and Kiba walked up to the teams. "Hey, have either of you guys seen Hinata?" asked Kiba.

Ino and Sakura looked over to one another then back to him. "Wasn't she with you?" asked Ino.

"She was, but she took off." replied Shino.

"We wanted to know what's up." said Kiba. "I only saw her for a second when we were excused and she looked really upset." he said, worried about his friend and teammate.

[Elsewhere]

Hinata was beside herself with grief. Once they were excused, she was the first to leave the room and run off to find a quiet and isolated place to cry. Her sensei, Kurenari saw what was going on and followed her. She was now sitting at a table with the young Hyuuga girl and gently running her hand over Hinata's back and shoulders while the poor thing cried her eyes out from losing any chances she had with the boy she loved. Kurenai felt for her. She knew from the get go that Hinata was in love with Naruto and she understood to a certain level what she was going through. She had her heart broken several times before when she was either dumped by a man she liked or lost him either on a mission or to another woman. She wanted to help her student.

"Hinata, I am so very sorry." she said softly as she continued trying to comfort the girl. "I know you had strong feelings for him." she added.

"It's not fair Sensei." said wailed. "It's just not fair." she cried.

Hinata would cry for many more hours with her sensei there with her the whole time.

[Hokage's Office]

Naruto stood in the center of the room with his parents across his father's desk and his hands hanging to his side. At the very moment, neither of them spoke. Things were still a little uncomfortable between Naruto and his folks, given how everything unraveled last night when they first had to tell him that he was now engaged. Kushina and Minato really wanted to try and make things batter with Naruto again but they simply didn't know yet on what to say. Neither of them had to go through what he's having to go through so it's not like they could say that they understand how he feels to try and help him feel better but they knew they couldn't just do absolutely nothing. As his parents, they had to try and make things right again.

"Naruto." Minato finally said, still wondering what he's going to say. "Your Mother and I...we." he was cut off though when Naruto sighed and looked back up at him.

They noticed that he didn't look very angry with them anymore. He wasn't smiling sure, but he wasn't as tense or angered with them as he was the night before. He seemed to have really calmed down.

Naruto sighed. "I guess we got a lot of work to do before Temari get's here, huh?" he asked.

Minato nodded. "You're Mother and I are gonna be here to help you get ready." he told him.

Kushina had some books brought in. She smiled to him when they both took a seat side by side. "How about after an hour or two, we go out to Ichiraku's?" she asked him.

Naruto looked back up and Kushina felt some relief when she saw a hopeful smile on his face. Maybe things were gonna turn around for them and they would have their son back smiling and pulling pranks again like he used to.

[Sunagakure]

On a Suna Tracker Ninja lookout, a single scout was waiting before he saw the messenger hawk fly in and land on his outstretched arm. He removed the note attacked to his bird's leg and then flashed away to bring the note back to his charges. He flashed into the room where the elder Ebizo was waiting for him to bring the response from Konoha. He knelt and handed his letter to the elderly man before being dismissed. Chiyo entered the room just in time to see that Ebizo had already opened the message to begin reading it.

"News from Konoha?" she asked.

Ebizo turned and handed it to her. She took the slip of paper and once she finished, she looked back up and smiled.

"It would seem that Konoha has accepted our generous offer." he said with a smile of his own.

"Then we must inform Baki." replied the elderly lady. "He has the duty of preparing Temari for her journey to Konoha where we'll present her to her new Groom and future In Laws." she finished.

[Author's Notes] So as you all can see, I have once again made some major changes to the second chapter as I did the first. I decided that it would be best to have Minato and Kushina tell Naruto first and in private at their home before dropping the same bombshell on everyone else in the Hokage's office the following day. I also wanted to show a lot more anger and a feeling of betrayal from Naruto when he'd learn of his engagement to Temari. I also thought it was more important to have his parents educate him in all the proceedings rather then have Kakashi do it like I did before. I plan on making another change like this to the third chapter as well and updating it too with the same writing style that I'm using now.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories, please leave a Review or a PM as I love getting em from my readers and I hope you all have a very nice day.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	3. Making Preparations

[Kazekage Mansion]

Temari woke up a little after the sun started shining through her window and onto her face. Truth be told however, she didn't really get a whole lot of sleep. Ever since Baki had told her that she was gonna be offered to Konoha as a bride to one of their ninja, it's all she's really thought about. She wasn't really able to bring herself to eat anything for dinner the night before and her mind was still on her being engaged to someone who she doesn't even know. When your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it can be very hard to find sleep and so she'd spend half the night tossing and turning in her bed to try and get comfortable. It was a long and frustrating night for her to say the very least, but sleep and Temari did eventually find one another.

Temari would get out of bed and sit for a moment with her face in her hands before getting up. She'd first go to the bathroom and freshen up and get her day started before making her way to the kitchen to get her breakfast. Upon entering the kitchen, she saw her younger sibling Kankuro sitting and already in the middle of his morning meal. He turned and saw his older sister serving herself something to eat and greeted her.

"Morning Sis." he said in his usual manner. "We've been waiting for ya." he told her.

"We?" she asked.

Kankuro pointed behind him and she turned to look and see her sensei and Gaara on the balcony outside and looking out over the village which has kinda become a new habit of his.

"They've been waiting for you to get up Temari." he said, going back to his breakfast. "We've got news for ya." he added.

Temari sighed and headed over to see her sensei who stood just outside with his arms crossed. "Temari." he greeted.

"You wanted to see me Sensei?" she asked him.

"We've received a message from Konoha last night and they've accepted our offer." he told her. "You are now officially engaged to Konoha's Groom." he finished.

Temari looked down in disappointment after hearing that. She had hoped that the message would get lost on the way to Konoha and the council would be forced to think of another plan but it was too much to really hope for. If they couldn't do it formally by letter than they'd do it by radio messaging. She also hoped that Konoha wouldn't be interested in the proposal and would kindly refuse and make a counter offer so that both villages could come to an agreement that would benefit both sides without her having to marry someone but who was she kidding? With her academy scores and shinobi records, there's no way they'd refuse such an offer. All villages look for an opportunity to increase their military strength and she'd be a generous offer.

She then looked back up and crossed her arms. "So who is he? Who am I...gonna marry?" she asked.

For the last few days, she'd been thinking about who would be chosen to be her husband. She'd prayed right off the bat that he'd be her age or at the very least, close to her age. There were plenty of boys she'd met during the Chunin Exams months ago who caught her attention. Sasuke Uchiha was one of them. When she first met him shortly after arriving to Konoha, she thought he was cute. He didn't really make a good impression though when the both of them fought during the battle between both their villages and gave her quite a thrashing as well as hurt her little brother. She wouldn't be surprised if he was to be her groom given that powerful clans are always looking to have powerful women marry into their families.

Another thought was Neji Hyuuga. Next to the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuuga Clan was one of the most powerful and respected clans in Konoha. Other than him, the only other faces she could think of was the Hokage's son Naruto Namikaze, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Choji Akimichi and Heaven forbid, that guy who humiliated her during the finals of the Exam, Shikamaru Nara. All of them came from respected families and clans so they'd be a logical choice and she'd hoped that it would be at the very least someone in the same age group as one of them.

"Uh, yeah." she heard from behind her, turning to see Kankuro rubbing the back of his neck. "You're never gonna believe who they've chosen." he told her.

"...Well who is he?" she demanded.

"Naruto Namikaze." he replied, causing his sister to look at him, shocked at what he just said. "Yeah, you heard me right. They've chosen that crazy blonde kid who beat Gaara." he added.

Temari's eyes widened and her hands dropped to her sides in disbelief. "Him?" she asked. "Out of all the people they could of chosen, they're marrying me to him?" she added.

"Bear in mind that Naruto is the Son of Konoha's 4th Hokage." said Baki, getting her to turn back to him. "Our Council requested that you marry him because it's an appropriate match. The Son of Konoha's 4th Hokage wed to the Daughte of Suna's 4th Kazekage to reforge the alliance and friendship between our villages." he told her.

"Well I..." she started. "I mean I guess I shouldn't be surprised and all, but I still never would have thought that he'd be chosen for my Husband." she told him.

Kankuro knew even before she did and even he was shocked by it still. If Gaara was surprised he didn't show it. He just kept on watching his siblings talk with their sensei.

"Anyway." Baki continued. "I've come to tell you who your betrothal is. I want you to finish your morning meal because once you're done, we're hitting the books and studying. We're leaving the village in less than a month and I've gotta be sure that you're familiar with all of Konoha's history, culture, customs and traditions before you leave for your new life." he explained to her.

Baki then left to take care of some work while Temari would talk with her brothers. She was still having a hard time grasping the situation. When she first met Naruto Namikaze, she actually didn't think much about him. If nobody had told her that he was the Hokage's son, she wouldn't have known about it and even after they figured that out, he didn't seem all that different from your average Konoha ninja. He was a bit loud and kinda crazy, but she figured that must have been to his upbringing. Other than that, he didn't seem too strong. But that was before she saw him in action of course. He beat Kiba Inuzuka of the Inuzuka Clan in a close fight even if he did have a speed disadvantage to the other boy. It was close, but he won.

Then he pulled out a real upset victory over the Hyuuga prodigy Neji. Naruto wasn't able to break his defense no matter what he threw at the guy and the kid wound up taking quite a beating once Neji went on the offensive. But then came out that scary red chakra and it was like watching a whole different person then. Within minutes, Neji was down with a single left hook which left quite a few betters in the stands angry when they lost all their cash. Speaking of that chakra, Naruto summoned it again during his battle with her little brother Gaara. He blew her mind when he summoned all those Kage Bunshin and that giant toad. How can anyone command such power at his age. Naruto had shown to be far stronger than any ninja she'd seen before.

The kid actually scared the daylights out of her and now she was gonna have to marry him.

"You okay Sis?" asked Kankuro.

Temari looked over when he asked the question. "Do you think acting loud and crazy is an act?" she asked back.

"If it is, then it's a damn good one." he replied. "I thought he was like most other rookies right out of the academy. Believing they're invincible and ready to take on the world but once they've gone on their first real mission, they either go through a very rude awakening, or they die. Clearly, he had me fooled but I guess if your Dad is the Hokage, it only makes sense that you're a powerhouse." he finished.

"But what about Gaara?" she asked. "How do you think he's gonna take it?" asked Temari, wondering how her youngest sibling would react to learning that his older sister was to marry the guy who kicked your ass.

"I approve of the match." Gaara answered.

"W-What?" asked Kankuro, looking even more shocked then Temari when they told her the news.

"Gaara, have you forgotten what he did to you months ago?" she asked, remembering how he spent two whole months recovering from the wounds that Naruto had inflicted on him.

"I haven't forgotten at all Temari." he replied. "I will never forget that battle for it was the battle that changed my life." he added.

"Then how can you be completely okay with it Bro?" asked Kankuro.

"Naruto Namikaze is not only a powerful Ninja but he has a good heart." he answered. "If the Council were to have chosen anyone else, then I wouldn't have been pleased. But Naruto is capable of not only protecting you like a Husband is supposed to do for his Wife, but also show you the respect you deserve as a Woman, a Kunoichi and my Sister." he explained before turning back to continue looking over the village. "You and Naruto have my blessing Temari." he finished.

His older siblings just stared at him, wondering just what the hell happened between Naruto and their baby brother that could have changed him in such a radical way.

"Kankuro, I don't know about you, but the new Gaara really scares me." Temari admitted.

"And you weren't scared of the old one?" asked Kankuro with a smirk.

"Good point." she replied with a smirk of her own.

Once they were done, Temari had her breakfast and then got to work on her studies. To prepare for this radical new change in her life as she was to marry the son and heir to the Namikaze Clan.

[Konoha Hokage's Office]

Minato was currently behind his desk with Jiraiya behind him and before him were Hiashi Hyuuga and Itachi Uchiha. They were currently talking about the issue with the council and Danzo's actions leading up to Naruto's engagement to Temari.

"So he just up and left in the middle of the meeting when his messenger arrived?" asked Minato who sat with his fingers laced before him.

"That he did." replied Itachi.

"We didn't think much about it because he'd always done this before." said Hiashi. "He always had messengers arrive to speak with him in the past and we never really thought about it before concerning his connections to the Foundation. I apologize Hokage-Sama, We should have been sure to see what kind of information he was withholding." he said.

"No it's fine." replied the Hokage, sitting back in his chair. "I was still hospitalized and the Council had it's hands tied. I shouldn't be surprised that he'd use the authority that the 3rd granted him long ago to bypass the rest of us." he added.

"If I may ask, why would he agree to have your Son marry the Suna Girl?" asked Itachi. "I would have thought that he'd have chosen someone from either the Uchiha or Hyuuga Clans." he told him.

"Suna was the one who requested that Temari marry Naruto." he answered. "I don't understand why he was so intent on having my Son for the union, but I'm sure he has his reasons for doing it. As for why Suna asked for Naruto specifically, I can only guess that he made quite the impression on them." he added.

"Danzo always seemed like he had ulterior motives from that of Konoha." Hiashi commented.

"Danzo's dedication to the safety of the village was never in question." replied Minato. "But yes, he's always been looking to further his own power in one way or another. Hiruzen warned me the day I became Hokage that Danzo was gonna be just as dangerous an enemy as he is a powerful ally." he finished.

"I'm sorry we didn't stop him from leaving the room with the letter Hokage-Sama." said Itachi. "Had we done so, maybe we could have stopped such a heavy burden from being placed upon your Son and your Family." he added.

"Well, there's not much we can do about it now." said Minato. "Once the Daimyo has given the order, there's no going back." he finished.

Both Itachi and Hyashi excused themselves before turning and leaving the Hokage alone with the Toad Sage. "You alright Minato?" asked Jiraiya.

Minato sighed and took another look at the file that had Temari's picture. "I just wish I could have been there for my Son." he replied. "Kushina and I both swore we were gonna try and keep him out of the political life. Had I been stronger, I could have both stopped Orochimaru and stopped Danzo from using our Son as a pawn." he finished.

"Minato, you can't blame yourself for what happened." he said, placing a hand on his students shoulder. "You have no more foresight than anybody else. And you've said it yourself, this isn't a bad thing. Naruto's gonna be married to a lovely young lady." he told him.

"Yes, but Kushina and I were hoping Naruto would find someone on his own good time and when he was a little older." he replied. "We did our best to break the news to him in a way that it would soften the blow, but no matter how much we try to come to terms with it, Kushina and I both can't help but feel like he thinks we betrayed him." he explained.

"I'm sure Naruto doesn't think that." replied Jiraiya. "I'm sure he's aware that you would have done everything in your power to avoid it if you were able to." he added.

Minato sighed again. "Well, we have a month for Naruto to study what he needs to in preparations for the arrival of his Betrothal and to come to terms with it. Hopefully, Kushina and I will be able to reconcile with our Son by then." he said.

"I'm sure he will." said Jiraiya. "Remember when Naruto found out he was the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki?" he asked. "He was angry for a while but he came around. But because someone gets angry with you doesn't mean that they've stopped loving you." he told him.

Minato smiled and thought on that. Jiraiya was right. One month was a reasonable amount of time to go by so maybe Naruto will forgive them.

[With Naruto And Kushina]

"It's sooooooooo boooooooring." complained a young blonde boy who dropped the book he was holding and falling forward out of frustration and tediousness.

For the last few days now, Naruto and his mother, along with his father from time to time, were in one of the Hokage Tower's studies where he'd spend hours reading through one book after another. Naruto had been reading up on Suna's history, culture, customs, philosophies and way of life. The problem he had when it came to focusing was that he never really found any of it exciting. Naruto's biggest interests were cool jutsus he's never seen or heard of before and how he could improve his own skills as a shinobi to further his life's goal of becoming Hokage. Instead, he'd have his training sessions cut short and spend eight strait hours reading up on how the 1st Kazekage discovered the great oasis where he'd build Suna and everything that came after that.

To say that it bored him out of his skull would be an understatement.

Kushina let out a tired sigh before putting down her own book to speak with her son. "Naruto, Honey I know these sort of things aren't very exciting for you but it's important that you learn this before the end of the months." she told him. "It's very important that you make a good first impression before Temari arrives. You wouldn't want to show her that you're insensitive to her Culture, would you?" she asked.

"Well, no." he replied, picking his book back up. "But seriously, what's the point in me studying this? I'm not the one moving to Suna at all." he told her.

"That's actually a very good question Naruto." she replied with a smile. "Bear in mind that Temari will most likely have to work just as hard in learning everything about Konoha. Her Council will be making sure that she's able to make a good first impression to her Betrothal as well. It's polite to show that you're serious about this as well." she told him.

"I guess." he replied.

"And even if it's Temari who'll be moving here to Konoha, that doesn't mean that you won't be traveling to Suna from time to time." she continued. "Part of a Marriage Arrangement between different villages means that both you and Temari will be traveling back and forth to help improve diplomatic relationships between Suna and Konoha. You two will be working just as hard in politics as you will in your relationship and the last thing you wanna do is do something to offend either her or her people." she asked him.

Naruto sighed again before responding. "Okay, I see your point." he answered while turning another page. "It's just, I don't understand why you or Dad haven't had to do this too." she added.

"But that's just it Naruto, we already have." she replied which got him to take his eyes off the book and look back up to his mother. "When your Father was preparing for the day he was to be named Hokage, he and I had to study up on not only Suna's Culture and Customs, but many other lands and villages as well. Being Hokage means you'll have to be just as much a Politician as a Ninja." she explained with a grin. "In fact, this isn't just to prepare you for your meeting with Temari and to improve relationships between Suna and Konoha, but think of it as helping to prepare you for becoming Hokage yourself." she added.

Naruto grinned at the thought. "Well if you put it that way, maybe this isn't such a bad idea after all." he replied before picking up the book and reading again with another grin.

'I should remember to use that more often.' she thought as she went back to reading her own book. 'Nothing motivates him more then his dream to succeed his Father.' she concluded.

That was when she heard a loud growling noise and looked over to him with a raised eyebrow and see him blushing. Naruto then looked over and smiled sheepishly. "I did miss out on breakfast to get some more reading in today, now that I think about it." he said while rubbing the back of his head and laughing a bit.

Kushina laughed a bit as well at that. "Well that's no good at all." she replied. "Can't have my Boy working on an empty stomach. How about you finish the chapter you're on and we'll go out for a lunch break. I'm a little hungry myself and if I know Teuchi, he's got a few bowls of ramen with our names on em." she declared.

"I could go for a bowl or two." he replied while reading quickly along to hurry and finish.

[The Namikaze Compound]

The house on the Namikaze compound certainly needed work alright. When they asked about it, Kakashi explained that this place was pretty badly damaged when Orochimaru attacked Konoha. They were glad that the foundation and infrastructure were still intact, but the walls needed to be put back up, the floors needed to be cleaned, the plumping had to be fixed, the yards needed some work as well and they were gonna have to give this place a nice coat of paint on both the outside and inside. The teams were glad that the Hokage had given them a month's time to work on this because they sure as hell were gonna need it. For the last few days, they'd been working on the house almost as hard as they did out in the training field.

At this very moment, everyone was having a lunch break. Kakashi sat on the roof of the house and rather than eating with everyone else, he sat and read his favorite book. Kurenai and Asuma had a lunch in another room together while Gai ran a mile around the village because he lost another bet with Kakashi. The teams were all having lunch together in what was gonna be Naruto and Temari's future living room. Sakura, Ino, Tenten and Hinata all sat on the floor with their bento boxes, Neji was off to the side with Lee, Kiba and Shino while Shikamaru sat with Choji stuffed his face with several bento boxes and potato chips. Lastly, Sasuke sat off to the side by himself with his own lunch he packed with some tea like everyone else.

"It's pretty weird." said Ino finally.

"What is?" Sakura responded.

"We're here working or having lunch and it's just so quiet." she answered. "I never actually thought that I'd miss one of Naruto's stupid pranks or jokes." she added.

"I know what you mean." said Kiba. "I haven't seen the guy for days and it's just not right." he explained.

"You'd think he'd lend a hand in rebuilding this place. I mean, it is gonna be his new house." Ino complained.

"Naruto's been at the Hokage Tower with his Parents who're preparing him for the arrival of his new Bride." said Neji. "You heard what the Hokage said. Naruto has to spend quality time preparing for Temari's arrival and that means studying up on Suna Culture." he explained.

There were some nods around the room at that before Ino started again. "And that's another thing, Naruto's getting married. Naruto is gonna be the first of any of us in our class to get married. I still can't believe it." she said.

"I suppose we shouldn't be too surprised." said Shino. "The children of Clan Lords and Village Leaders are often chosen for arranged marriages for political reasons. Naruto's Dad is both of those things at once so it would be logical to assume that he'd be selected for a marriage to a girl from Suna." he explained.

"And not just any girl." said Sakura. "Temari, who's on the same team with that scary guy Gaara and who beat Tenten during the Chunin Preliminaries." she added.

"Uh, Sakura?" asked Ino who tapped her on the shoulder and pointed over to the brunette who's head was hanging in shame.

"Oh, Tenten I'm sorry I..." she started.

"Why does everyone keep bringing that up?" she asked in frustration. "Okay, I get it, she kicked by butt. As it turns out, I wasn't ready to fight someone who's strength was Wind Style Ninjutsu. But it was simply the luck of the draw." she explained.

"I know, and I'm sorry." said Sakura. "It's just, this must feel strange for you and your team right? She's moving here in less than a month and will be joining or Village as a Leaf Ninja." she stated.

Lee was quiet for a moment, thinking about how Gaara nearly crippled him. If it wasn't for the Lady Tsunade who returned to fix the damage to his legs and spine, his career as a ninja would have been over. Even Neji was a little upset for almost losing his sparing partner and Tenten had to admit that even Gaara was a pretty scary guy. But she also couldn't quiet come to fully grasp the fact that Temari was gonna be moving to Konoha. They were gonna be seeing one another quiet often now and she didn't know how to really take that. Truth told though, this was something that would feel pretty weird for everyone, given that Temari did take part in Suna and Oto's surprise attack to destroy their village and almost kill their Hokage.

"I think we should be nice to her." Hinata said finally.

This got everyone's full attention on the shy and quiet girl who did her best not to feel too uncomfortable from all the eyes on her. For the last few days now, Hinata had it pretty rough. When the Hokage dropped that massive bombshell on all of them, declaring that Naruto was gonna be wed to Temari, it broke her little heart. She spent almost every night crying herself to sleep over losing any chances she once had to win the heart of the boy she loved. Part of her really wanted to even hate Temari for stealing him from her. Of course, that wasn't really fair at all because Temari probably didn't want this anymore than Naruto did.

'It's not like she wanted this.' she thought to herself before speaking with everyone again. "Guys, she's gonna have to move here." she started. "Temari and Naruto-Kun are both in the same situation and I think she probably doesn't like this anymore than he does. She'll probably have a very hard time and I'm not just saying that because she's leaving her home behind. It'll probably be very difficult for her once she arrives because there are still people who hate Suna for what they did and she's gonna be blamed for it. I think we should be kind and welcoming to Temari and I believe that we should show her and Naruto-Kun our support." she finished.

Kiba smirked at that. "I gotta admit Hinata, that has to be the most words I've ever heard you say." he remarked.

"Oh...well, uh." she replied by blushing and playing with her fingers.

"Hinata's right." said Sakura. "Temari's here to help build peace between Konoha and Suna and I think we should be welcoming." she said with a smile.

"I agree." said Ino. "Who knows? We may even find a new friend in her." she added.

Everyone else round about started talking about the idea before it was agreed that they would be polite and welcoming to Temari when she arrived.

'Even if I can't be with you Naruto-Kun, the least I can do is be a friend and someone that you can trust.' Hinata thought. 'And if that means being nice to your future...Wife, then so be it.' she thought on before she continued her meal.

After about a half hour of eating and socializing, Kakashi and the other Jonin entered the room again. "Alright everyone, time to get back to work." said Kakashi.

[Three Weeks Later]

A lot has been happening in Konoha over the last few weeks. Naruto had been spending most of his time at the Hokage Tower studying up on Suna's history, culture, customs and traditions. Each day he'd sit with either his mother or father and read through one book after another and it was certainly a long and slow process. Even Minato and Kushina's patience were tested with how many times Naruto would forget some of the things they went over the previous day which would result in him having to reread everything. Eventually, Naruto did complete his studies and learned everything he had to for Temari's arrival. This made him happy because now he wanted to spend most of his time in the training fields.

Right now at this very moment, Naruto was at the Ichiraku's and was on his third bowl of ramen. He was of course chatting with his friends and favorite patrons Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku.

"So how have you been Son? asked Teuchi who just handed a bowl of ramen to another customer. "We've only had you here a couple of times a week now and not every single day like we used to." he remarked.

"I've been fine I guess." he replied. "Just been really busy with...well you know." he told him.

"Oh yeah that's right, your engagement." Said Teuchi. "I almost forgot that you've been preparing for, Temari was it?" he asked to which Naruto nodded.

"I still can't believe that you're getting married." said Ayame. "And at thirteen too." she added.

"Nobody's more shocked about it than I am, that's for sure." he replied. "And ever since then, I've had to spend hour after hour in my Dad's study reading one book after another on Suna Culture and History and all the Political stuff. I'd go home each night with my eyes throbbing." he commented.

"I'm willing to bet that Temari has to go through something similar." said Teuchi. "Now I'm no political expert, but she's probably had to go over all of Konoha's History and Culture as well so it should be pretty difficult for her too." he added.

"I guess that's true." he replied. "But what I still can't get over is that I'm gonna have to marry Gaara's Older Sister." he added.

"I remember you telling us about Gaara and he sounded really scary." said Ayame.

It was then another customer entered. "Welcome to Ichiramu's. Please have a seat and I'll be with ya in a minute." Teuchi greeted.

Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his teammate Sakura. "Mind if I join you?" she asked with a smile.

Naruto smiled back and nodded. Within just a few minutes, Teuchi brought Sakura her ramen and she enjoyed it while she talked with her friend and teammate.

"We haven't seen you in a while." Sakura said to the blonde boy sitting next to her. "I hope your studies have been going well." she told him.

"It was a pain but yeah, I learned what I had to learn." he replied. "Now I'm spending my days either training or packing up my things so I can move them to the new house. In fact, I have a few more boxes to pack once I'm done here and I'll be ready to go." he told her.

"Naruto, how does it feel, to be engaged I mean?" she asked him.

Naruto sighed before responding. "It's weird to think about." he told her. "I mean, I wasn't even thinking about marriage yet and one day, Mom and Dad tell me that I'm now being given over to someone just like that. I honestly can't describe how I feel all at once." he explained.

"Are you okay though?" she asked with some worry.

"I've had nearly a month so it's gotten a little easier." he replied. "I just wish that I knew more about Temari other than where she comes from and who her family is." he added.

"Well you gotta admit it is interesting to say the least." she told him.

"How so?" he asked.

"The Son of our 4th Hokage marrying the Daughter of Suna's 4th Kazekage." she replied. "It's almost something out of a fairy tale." she remarked.

"Well I'm glad that you think it's funny." he replied. "I just really wish that I didn't have to go through this." he sighed before paying for his meal and taking off.

"Naruto." Sakura called out before running up to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." she told him.

"Oh no, it's fine Sakura." he told her. "You didn't upset me, I'll deal with it." he finished.

Sakura then leaned in to hug him. "Naruto, your friends and I want you to know that we're here for you." she told him. "We'll give you all the support you need leading up to your wedding day." she promised.

Naruto smiled and hugged her back. This was a nice feeling for him. Naruto was glad that he wasn't alone and it warmed his heart to know that he could count on his friends and family to be there for him. At the same time though, this was a little hard for him too. Sakura was hugging him and as he held her for a short time, he realized that he's been trying to win her over for a while now. Now that he's engaged though, he's not aloud to pursue any other girl, no matter how much he may like her because that wouldn't be fair to Temari. This hug was probably the closest he'd ever been to Sakura and it'll be the closest he'll ever be. On his wedding day, Naruto will have to pledge himself to her and only her which means he can have no other woman.

"I'm sure you'll do great with Temari." said Sakura, letting him go.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"Well, I'm confident that you'll have some time to get to know Temari before your big day." she replied. "Just remember that girls like guys who're nice and listen to them. I'm sure that if she gets to see how nice you are, she'll like you." she told him.

Naruto smiled at that. "Thanks Sakura." he said happily.

Naruto and Sakura would bid one another one last goodbye before they'd part ways. Naruto had a few more boxes to pack once he got home and his folks did tell him that they had one more thing they had to go over with him before Temari arrived.

[Namikaze Household]

Naruto had just finished packing his last box when he heard a knock at the door of his room. "Come in." he called.

The door opened and his parents entered. "Naruto." his father greeted.

"Are you alright Honey?" his mother asked.

Naruto let out a sigh before replying. "Yeah, I just finished packing my last box." he replied. "All I have to do is run my furniture and bed over to the new house along with everything else and I'll be living in a new home." he told them.

"You have been very busy." his father remarked. "Over the last few weeks, you've been working yourself to death." he told him.

There was a moment of silence before Kushina took a step forward. "Naruto, your Father and I, we..." she started before her son cut her off.

"Mom, it's fine." he told her. "I know you and Dad did what you could and I'm not angry about it anymore." he told them. "I've had plenty of time to really think about it and I guess it's not gonna be so bad. I just wish it didn't feel like I'm being forced into it y'know?" he asked.

"Naruto, your Mother and I wanna help you out any way we can." he told him. "If you ever need any advice from us on married life, we'd be happy to offer you and Temari any counselling." He promised.

Naruto smiled at that. "Thanks Dad." he replied.

Both Minato and Kushina came in to face their young son in the middle of the room. "There's something else that we would like to talk to you about Temari." said Kushina.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Naruto, bear in mind that you're not the only person who's having to go through with this." his father told him. "I imagine that Temari's had to work pretty hard and give up a lot for her to carry out her duties as well." he added.

"But it goes much deeper than that." his mother told him. "Temari's leaving behind her home, her culture, her heritage, her own way of life and having to adjust to a completely new and different environment. I don't know Temari or what her personality is like, but I do know what it's like having to leave your old home and move to what feels like a completely different world then from the one you've grown up in. I'm sure she'll feel pretty lonely and maybe even a little scared at the idea." she said before placing a hand on her son's shoulder. "Naruto, you're one of the kindest and most compassionate people I know. You have a very rare and unique gift in being able to form a friendship with anybody after only spending a short time with them." she told him with a smile.

"Please, be kind to her." she continued. "Be compassionate and patient with her. I know you can make this into happy marriage and I'm sure that you can win her heart, even if this is an arranged marriage. But even if you don't fall in love with one another like your Father and I are hoping, then you can at the very least find within one another a friend and someone you can trust." she finished.

Naruto smiled at his mother's kind words. This talk had given him some real hope for a happy life with Temari and right now, he could use all hope he could get.

"Now with that in mind..." his mother started before walking over to his window and locking it which caused Naruto to raise his brow. "There's one last thing that you're Father and I need to speak with you about." she said with a smirk.

"What?" asked Naruto.

"Naruto." Minato began. "You know that arranged marriages have certain expectations right?" he asked his young son.

"Uh yeah, Temari and I are gonna get married to seal the deal for peace between our villages." he replied.

"Well there's that of course." Kushina replied. "But Naruto, there are certain things that have to happen on your wedding day, or more accurately, your wedding night." she told him.

"Why? What happens on our wedding night?" Naruto asked a little nervously.

"Naruto, on the night a man and woman are married, they...consummate the wedding." his mother explained.

"...Comsomwhat?" he asked.

"Naruto, it means that the both of you will have sex." his father said plainly which caused Naruto's eyes to shoot wide open.

"Oh...is that what we're talking about?" he asked with his eye twitching.

"That's right Naruto." said Kushina with a grin. "That's why your Father and I are gonna go over all of it with you tonight. We're gonna explain to you how men and women have intercourse and where babies come from." she said cheerfully.

Naruto turned around but saw his father close and lock his bedroom door. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked crossing his arms.

"...I gotta pee." Naruto lied.

Minato only smirked. "You can hold it." he replied.

Naruto knew there was no getting out of this either so he sat on his bed with his parents to both his left and right.

"Now Naruto, your Father and I want you to understand that we're gonna be explaining a lot of very weird things to you involving sex." his mother told him.

"And I believe that it's fair to say in advance that this will start out feeling very uncomfortable." his father added.

"But it's also important to note that there's nothing wrong with it." his mother continued. "Sex is in no way dirty or perverted at all. Unless in involves Jiraiya somehow." she added.

[Elsewhere]

Jiraiya who was peeking at the girls who were bathing that evening sneezed suddenly "Huh, that's weird." he said, rubbing his finger under his nostrils. "I'll bet there's a lovely young lady out there somewhere who's talking about me." he thought with a blush.

[With Naruto And His Parents]

"Remember, sex is perfectly normal and healthy between a married couple." his mother told him. "It's also very emotional and spiritual." she added.

"...Okay." he said with a big gulp.

Two hours. Minato and Kushina talked with their young son for over two hours. They wanted to be sure that they explained everything such as different sexual organs on men and women, nerve endings, foreplay, positions that were both fun and comfortable as well as what kinds of sex they could do together. They didn't want to leave anything out so they were very detailed in all of their explanations. Naruto remained quiet and calm, if a little uncomfortable for the most of it and much to Minato and Kushina's surprise, he only freaked out once.

"I HAVE TO PUT MY WHAT INSIDE HER WHAT NOW?!" he shouted which shook the whole house.

In addition, they also explained what sperm cells and ovaries were and how they started life, along with the whole process of pregnancy and how babies are delivered. Once they were done, Naruto's eyes were bloodshot and twitching and he had a small nose bleed.

"And there you have it Son. That's all there is to know about intercourse and where babies come from." said his father.

"Do you have any questions at all?" his mother asked. "Anything that still doesn't make any sense or that you have a hard time understanding?" she added.

"No, I got it all, thank you." he said, trying not to lose his ramen. "Although, I think we should probably try avoiding direct eye contact for at least a week or two." he told them.

[Suna]

Temari was having dinner with her siblings at the very moment. Over the last three weeks, Temari hadn't had the chance to enjoy a lot of free time to herself. She'd been in her mansion's study with Baki who's been having her read on book after another on everything she had to learn about Konoha from it's culture and customs, right down to it's leadership and social hierarchy. She also had to study up on the village's history and how it was founded which was how she came to learn what the meaning of the "Will of Fire" was. She was also given some time to read a bit more on her betrothal. Much of his file was surprisingly well classified though. What she did know was do to his heritage, he wasn't just the heir to one but two clans. The Namikaze and Uzumaki bloodlines.

While she ate, Baki entered along with Ebizo and Chiyo.

"Temari, Kankuro, Gaara." Baki greeted his students. "I hope you're enjoying yourselves." he added.

"Tonight's meal tastes pretty good actually." Kankuro replied.

"What can we do for you?" Temari asked.

"It is time Temari." said Chiyo.

"We came to tell you that you need to pack up all your things tonight because we're leaving for Konoha tomorrow morning." said Ebizo. "The delegation and your escorts will be waiting for you at the gate of the village at down. We'll be traveling for about a week before we reach Konoha and you must be sure that you don't leave behind anything that is important to you." he added.

Temari nodded and promised she'd get to work once she was done. When she finished her evening meal, she grabbed a couple of sealing scrolls to begin packing up her things. Kankuro and Gaara offered to help, but she told them that she wanted to take care of it herself. One of the benefits of using a sealing scroll was that it required little more than an understanding of fuinjutsu and a scroll to seal them away in. With only a few hours, Temari had sealed away everything but her bed. She figured that she could at least sleep on it one more time and then seal it up before she leaves. She took a moment to look around her now completely empty bedroom. It just didn't seem right to her really. She grew up here and this was her whole childhood.

"Temari." she heard, turning to see her first Gaara standing at the doorway and then Kankuro.

"You guys can come in." she told them.

"How are you feeling?" Kankuro asked with a concerned look on his face. Kankuro was never the very emotional type, but this was harder on his then he wanted to admit. Temari was more than his teammate, she was his sibling. Sure she was incredibly bossy at times and it annoyed him, but she was still his sister and he loved her. And now, he and Gaara both were gonna lose her.

"Half the time, angry that the Village Council would screw me like this." she answered. "The other half, sick to my stomach." she added.

"Temari, Kankuro and I are gonna miss you." said Gaara witha genuinely sad look in his eyes.

Temari leaned in and hugged her youngest brother and he hugged her back. Kankuro then leaned in and hugged them both and for a moment, the three of them stood there in silence as they held one another within their arms. With their father now gone, they were all they had left in a family and Temari's leaving was gonna split them up even further.

Once they parted Temari sighed. "Okay guys, I need to get to bed and I think you should to." she told them. "Tomorrow gonna be a long trip to Konoha and we're gonna need to be well rested." she added.

Gaara and Kankuro both nodded and exited the room before closing it behind them. Temari turned to her bed and stumbled just a bit before breathing heavily.

'Easy Temari.' she told herself, trying to control her emotions. 'Just control your breathing and take things very slowly.' she told herself before climbing into her bed and under her covers.

The following day, Temari would seal away her bed within her scroll, meet up with her younger siblings and they'd then meet up with Baki, Chiyo, Ebizo, Yukata, Matsuri and the rest of the Suna delegation. Then they'd depart. Temari would look back from time to time as they made their way across the desert. She wanted to get one last look at her home before it would disappear from view completely. From here on out, she would have to look forward to seeing the gates of Konoha and she would have to accept that that was gonna be her new home from now on.

[Author's Notes] As you can see, I've made some real changes to this one as well, but kept some of the original stuff that I really liked. For starters, I had Kushina and Minato teach Naruto Suna culture rather than Kakashi do it like I did last time. I also wanted to add more scenes involving Temari and the struggles she was going through and lastly, Naruto's reconciliation with his parents as he's had over a month to come to terms with being engaged in an arranged marriage.

As alwyas, thank you all so much for reading my stories, please leave me either a Review or a PM as I love getting em and I hope you all enjoyed reading ths stoty as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	4. The Bride And Groom

[Konoha Council Chambers]

It was late in the evening and the village elders Homura, Koharu and Danzo were meeting in private in the council chambers. They were currently discussing the situation with Naruto and his family and how things have been progressing over the last month. By now, Minato and Kushina were able to teach Naruto everything he needed to know about Suna's culture, history, customs and traditions so he'd be able to present himself well to Temari once she arrives tomorrow morning. The new house that was worked on and finished at the Namikaze compound was fixed up and looked great and from what they gathered, Naruto had already moved all of his personal possessions over so that he'd be ready to move in the next day with his new bride to be.

"So, what news have you gathered Homura?" asked Danzo to the other elder.

"The Suna Delegation have stopped for the evening at an Inn on the road near one of our border villages with Temari." he replied. "They're in need of some much required rest before they can continue their journey here. From where they are now, they're half a day's trip before they arrive at our gates so we should be expecting them in the late afternoon which gives us plenty of time to prepare for Temari's arrival and to welcome them back to our village once more." he explained.

"And what of young Naruto?" Danzo asked Koharu.

"It was a slow, tiring and from what I understand from Minato and Kushina, a very frustrating process in educating their Son in all the necessary procedures." she replied. "But from what I understand, Naruto has completed his studies and is ready for the arrival of his new Bride. The only thing we need to worry about now is how Naruto presents himself to Temari and I'm sure his Parents will make sure he is both in a state fit to be seen and makes a good first impression to her and the Suna Delegation." she added.

"Good." he responded. "Everything is moving forward exactly as it should." he finished.

Homura took his glasses off for a moment to clean them with a cloth before placing them back on his face. "It was a good move to bypass the Hokage and the rest of the Council and to appeal directly to our leadership." he commented. "Convincing the Daimyo to agree with the proposal was a good move and would have been far easier then convincing either the Hokage and his Wife." he told him.

"I must say, you went to extreme measures to have this arrangement set up." said Koharu, getting the old War Hawk to turn to her. "Why were you so interested in having the Hokage's Son marry the Kazekage's Daughter? I can understand reestablishing the alliance we had with Suna for strategic reasons, but we could have agreed to a new alliance, even without the marriage." she explained.

"And why with Naruto?"asked Homura. "Why not one of the Uchiha or the Hyuuga?" he added.

"I can understand why you'd ask about the holders of the Sharingan and Byakugan, but I don't believe that would have been a wise move on our part." he replied. "If Suna were to offer her to either a member of the Uchiha Clan or the Hyuuga Clan, I'd be more skeptical because that would seem like they'd be after the Sharingan or the Byakugan. I wouldn't risk another village getting it's hands on either of the two most powerful ocular jutsus." he explained.

"That does make a lot of sense." replied Homura. "Besides, they did ask specifically for Naruto and it would have been rude to refuse such a request." he added.

"But why would they want Naruto?" asked Koharu. "You don't think they know about the Kyuubi, do you?" she asked him.

"I rather doubt that." he answered. "Minato and I have taken great lengths to ensure that nobody outside the village knew of his status as the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. As for why they'd ask for him, there are two main possibilities. The first is the obvious and it's because he's the Hokage's Son so it would be an appropriate match. Also, many members from Suna were present during the Chunin Exams and have seen first hand how strong the Boy is. He must have made quite the impression on all the right people because they insisted that it be him and nobody else." he finished explaining.

"But that still doesn't explain why you went to such lengths to have this go through." Koharu remarked.

Danzo leaned back in his chair before replying to his fellow elder. "Do you remember when Minato and Kushina refused to let me train their Son before he entered the academy?" he asked back.

"Yes." she replied. "But what's that have to do with this?" she asked him.

"I actually requested once before shortly after he was born and they refused me then too." he answered. "Naruto has so much potential, being the Son of two Clans and the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. I could have brought him up as a very powerful ninja and an invaluable weapon for our village's use and instead, the Hokage refuses out of feelings and sentimentality. Instead, having him enter the academy and receive tutoring from him and his wife from time to time. All that potential, wasted." he griped. "So, I decided that if I couldn't be the one to train Naruto, I'll train his children." he continued. "Temari has an exceptional record and is a skilled Kunoichi in her own right. From them, we can raise a new clan of very powerful ninja for the village." he finished.

"But even if we were hoping to pursue a new peace treaty with Suna, you couldn't have known that they'd offer Temari to Naruto as a Bride." said Homura.

"I didn't." replied Danzo. "I would have pursued the new treaty, even if she wasn't offered to us. But a chance to increase the Namikaze Clan's numbers by having the Hokage's Son marry such a promising Kunoichi was too good a chance to pass up. Of course, even if Temari wasn't to be offered to the Boy, I would have selected one of the Kunoichi I've trained to wed him and bear his children for him sooner or later. Suna's offer is simply more convenient because it kills two birds with one stone." he finished.

"That's your plan then? You wish to breed them?" asked Koharu, thinking it kind of inappropriate to think of them in such a manner.

"Don't act so surprised Koharu. Selective breeding in the Shinobi world has been a practice for generations." he replied. "Even before the First Great Shinobi World War, various families and clans have been selecting brides and groom among their children to breed stronger and more capable offspring while breeding out undesirable traits. Even after hundreds of years, this is one thing that has changed very little in the Shinobi world. This is necessary for the growing strength of our village and the preservation to the Shinobi way of life." he finished.

"I suppose you're right." replied Koharu. "But still, to have them both wedded and then expected to have children at such young ages. Naruto's only thirteen years of age." she commented.

"Now on that, I do agree." replied Homura. "Even if he is a legal adult in the eyes of the village, he's quite young. Temari I can understand, but Naruto could still be seen as a little too young for marriage." he added.

"And I agree with the both of you on that as well." replied Danzo. "If Naruto were maybe seventeen or eighteen, I would expect him to wed her, bed her and put a child in her the day she arrives in Konoha. But maybe we can convince Suna's Council to give the new couple a few years before a child is really needed." he told them, getting both elders to nod in agreement.

[Namikaze Household]

Naruto was finishing up on having dinner with his parents at the very moment. Tonight was actually gonna be his last night in his parents house. Most of his belongings have already been moved over to the new house where he and Temari were gonna live together so the only thing he still had in his room was his bed and a change of cloths. His mom got him a very nice new Kimono for him to wear when Temari and the Suna delegation arrives tomorrow. Naruto's only problem was that it had no orange on it which was his favorite color. He argued with Kushina that he wanted to at least wear an orange dress shirt with it but she wouldn't have it. It was to be a nice sky blue dress shirt under a navy blue coat and dress pants with a white sash.

She also got him a blue long sleeve vest for him that had written on the back in elaborate letters " _Honored Son_ ". He also had a month to prepare for this day so he knew what he was supposed to do and say when Temari arrived. Now all he had to do was get some sleep, wake up early and make ready for her arrival to Konoha. He was glad that his folks were supportive of course, but he was still nervous as hell, thinking about the whole getting married to someone you don't know for the sake of peace between your villages sort of thing. Once Naruto had finished eating dinner, he took his plate and glass to the sink and wished his mom and dad a good night before heading up to his room for the last night in his parents house.

Minato and Kushina would talk once he was upstairs and they've heard his door close. The Hokage walks over to his wife while she does the dishes.

"Kushina?" he asked, noticing how quiet she had gotten.

"I'm fine Minato. I just..." she replied before stopping.

"It's still bothering you isn't it?" he asked, sighing when he noticed how troubled she looked.

Kushina put the dish down to turn and face her husband. "Minato, I know Naruto has gotten better about it and it makes me happy to see that he's getting used to the idea. But I still can't help but feel like there's something we could have done to stop this." she told him.

"I know just what you mean." he replied, leaning back against the counter top. "Between you and me, I feel like this was all my fault. Had I been stronger and better prepared, Orochimaru probably wouldn't have done what he did to me. I could have remained active and stopped Danzo from forwarding the proposal to Suna and we could have settled it with an agreement to a new peace treaty." he explained.

"Would you really have accepted a new alliance with the Sand Village, even after everything they've done?" she asked him.

"An alliance with Suna has always been important in avoiding war with Iwa." he replied. "I know it, you know it, the whole Council knows it. That's probably how Danzo was able to get this to go through. He appealed to the Daimyo with this as a means to restore and secure peace and you know as well as I do how easy it is to convince him of anything." he said with some mild annoyance.

"Well, there's no going back now." she told him. "Our Boy's getting married and that's all there is to it." she added.

"Then this is where we need to help him and Temari out any way we can." he replied. "We may not have been able to get Naruto out of an arranged marriage, but we can still help him and his new Wife have a happy marriage together." he told her.

Kushina smiled and leaned into her husband's arms as they hugged one another tight. Meanwhile, Naruto was tossing and turning in his bed, trying to get some sleep. Temari was doing the same at the inn where she was staying for the evening. Both young blondes had a whole lot on their minds. Naruto was pretty nervous about the whole making a good first impression with the girl who's been chosen for you to spend the rest of your natural life with while Temari was struggling to make peace with the idea that she was gonna be arriving at the gates of Konoha tomorrow and it would be the beginning of a new life for her. Soon, she would no longer be a Suna ninja and would have to swear loyalty to Konoha as a new Leaf ninja.

After several more hours of tossing and turning in their beds, both Naruto and Temari would finally get to sleep.

[The Next Day]

Temari was sleeping quite comfortably in her bed and rolled over once when she felt a strange presence. She would slowly open her eyes to see one of her elders, the lady Chiyo glaring down at her.

'Oh yeah, that's not creepy in the slightest.' she thought as she looked back up at the old crone.

"You overslept Temari." said Chiyo to the blonde teenager as she sat up.

"Sorry about that." she replied while stretching. "I had a little trouble getting to sleep last night and I guess it caught up with me." she told her.

"Well you're up now, so it's time to get ready." she replied. "Today, we'll be presenting you to your Groom and his Family and I'm here to ensure that you're ready." she told her.

"Okay okay fine." she grumbled. "I just need to get some breakfast." she told her, getting out of the bed.

"There's no time." Chiyo said, stopping her. "If you had awaken sooner, you could have gotten something to eat. But now, you need to freshen up and get ready to go. The escort is here and ready to take you to Konoha and you need to be ready within an hour." she explained.

"But I'm hungry." she replied.

"You're gonna have to deal with it then." she said, turning and heading to the door. "Matsuri, Yukata." she called.

"Yes Ma'am." said both girls in unison as they stood in attendance.

"Both of you have your instructions, once Temari is nice and clean, help her into her dress and makeup as well as put her hair up the way I've shown you." she told them.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Temari with an irritated look.

"Temari, I don't want any lip from you." snapped Chiyo. "You've agreed to go through with the marriage arrangement and that includes presenting yourself in a manner fit for a lady of your social status. Shower now." she barked.

Temari's eye twitched when the old woman left the room. She honestly didn't know which was more annoying now. The growling that her stomach was making or the old crone's nagging. With a sigh, she stepped off to enter the bathroom to get her shower and get her day started.

[Namikaze Compound]

Naruto was sleeping in his bed when he suddenly felt the covers yanked off. He shivered for a moment and reached down to try and bring them back up and get warm again, only to find that they were no longer in his bed.

"Naruto, wake up." he heard.

Naruto sat up to see his mom in a bathrobe and her hair up in a towel. She stood there with her hands on her hips and an angry scowl on her lovely face.

"Mom?" he asked.

"Naruto, you should have been up by now." she remarked.

"I'm sorry Mom, I had some trouble getting to sleep." he replied, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Temari's coming today and I need you ready to be at the gates." she told him. "Go take a shower, then get into your Kimono. Once you're dressed and presentable, we're heading to the Village Gates to meet up with your Father." she told him.

Naruto stood up and walked past her to the bathroom. "Okay, okay." he said as the door closed behind him. Kushina then returned to her bedroom where she would get dressed into her own Kimono in preparations for the arrival of her future daughter in law.

[With Temari]

One of the nice things Temari actually really enjoyed about Konoha was running hot water. Back home in Suna, this wasn't really something you could afford since you were out in the middle of a desert. They did have public bath houses which had natural hot springs where people could go to get clean, but to have water for showering in your own house was something that not even the wealthiest people could do. Water was the most precious resource in Suna. Their village was built over a massive oasis and it was guarded twenty four hours a day. When she first came to Konoha during the Chunin Exams, she really enjoyed the privilege of taking a nice, long and hot shower and did so whenever she had the chance. She really enjoyed feeling the hot water wash over her.

Temari exited the bathroom in a bathrobe and her hair in a towel. She looked to see both Matsuri and Yukata waiting for her. She then removed her robe, now in her bra and panties and sat down in a chair before removing the towel on her head and letting her wet hair fall to her shoulders. The younger girls then came over to help get her ready for her presentation by helping her into her new Kimono and applying her makeup. Temari now sat up in her snow white dress while Yukata brushed her hair and Matsuri did her makeup. The young brunette was carefully applying her eyeliner before she decided to break the silence.

"So, today's the day." she smiled to the older blonde girl.

Temari looked at her calmly. "Yes it is." she replied.

"Temari, you've actually met Naruto once before." Yukata commented. "What do you make of him?" she asked her.

"To be honest, Naruto seems like a wild card to me." she replied. "When I first met him, I didn't really think much about him. He seemed really overconfident and boastful which is kinda how most Genin are when they're fresh out of the academy." she told her.

Matsuri then had her lean forward a bit and pucker her lips to apply her lipstick. "But did you know he was the 4th Hokage's Son?" she asked her.

Temari was able to talk again once the lipstick was on right. "I actually never would have known had someone not told me." she answered. "He acted differently from most people who're the children of village leaders and he didn't seem to act like it was really all that important." she explained.

"But is he strong?" asked Yukata who just finished brushing her hair and was now putting it up in an elaborate bun.

"He certainly surprised me." Temari answered while not moving her head. "He did very well in the preliminaries against that Inuzuka Boy and he surprised quite a lot of us at the finals when he beat that Hyuuga guy. But then came our battle with Konoha and his fight with Gaara." she said as if she still couldn't believe it.

"I saw what Gaara looked like when he came back to the village." replied Matsuri. "I didn't think anyone could do something like that him and given that he was in the hospital for so long, he had to be really strong." she commented.

"I saw the whole fight." Temari replied as she stood up and Yukata helped to tie her Obi sash around her waist. "He was relentless. Changing strategies in the middle of the fight, summoning so many Kage Bunshin for battle and no matter how many times Gaara knocked him down, he'd get right back up for more and attack again. I've never seen anybody fight like that before in my life." she finished as Yukata tied the sash off into a bow behind her.

"But how does it feel knowing that you're marrying him?" Yukata asked her.

"To be honest, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing." she replied. "While I've seen everything Naruto can do and know a little more about him from records that Konoha had shared with us, I still don't know him very well at all. In fact, he and I have never even said anything to one another before." she told her.

"Do you think you'll have the time to get to know each other a little better before your wedding?" Matsuri asked her.

"That would be nice." replied Temari now checking herself out in the mirror. "Although in Arranged Marriages, the couples don't usually have that luxury. Their families expect them to be wed the same day the Bride arrives. I'm hoping to at least have some time to learn more about him as a human being then just a Shinobi before we say I do." she told her.

Temari looked up and down at herself in the mirror and although she wasn't too big a fan of having to wear such elaborate dresses like this, she had to admit that it looked really nice on her. The Kimono was snow white with intricate light blue wind patterns on the skirt and sleeves. She had on a yellow gold Obi sash tied around her waist with a bow tied behind on her lower back. Yukata put her hair up into a very nice bun and topped it off with a hair piece that was a jade green brush decorated with a desert lily. Matsuri had done a very fine job with her makeup too. Her cheeks blushed a nice shade a pink with her eyeliner and mascara going very well together. The young brunette also chose a great shade of red for her lipstick. She was actually impressed.

"Um Temari?" asked Matsuri who got the older girl to look at her. "First of all, Chiyo-Sama wanted us to give you these." she told her.

The first item was a small fan that looked just like her own battle fan, three moons and everything. The others were a few rice crackers.

"While you didn't really have a chance for a decent breakfast, she's hoping that this'll at least hold you over until later." said Yukata.

Temari smiled and took both the fan and crackers. "Thanks." she replied before tucking the fan into her sash and carefully eating the snack so as not to get it on her nice clean dress. Matsuri and Yukata both followed Temari downstairs to the entrance of the Inn.

[Outside]

Temari walked outside the Inn to see her brothers standing with Baki and the village elders. Behind them were other delegates and Suna tracker ninja who were acting as bodyguards for her and everyone. They turned to see her and the other girls exiting the building.

"Alright, I'm ready to go." said Temari as she was about to get on the road.

"Hold it Temari." Baki called to her.

She turned to see Baki point over to a carriage with several men standing ready for her to get inside so they could carry her. Her eye twitched when she was the carriage.

"You've gotta be kidding me." she said when she saw one of the escorts open it up. "I have legs, I'm perfectly capable of walking and it's a very nice day." she told them.

"It's tradition Temari." said Ebizo. "When you agreed to go through with this, you agreed to all the customs and procedures. Please enter the Carriage so these gentleman we hired can do the job they were hired to do." he requested.

"We're half a day's trip from where we are Temari." Chiyo told her. "Please adhere to the traditions and do as you've been instructed. We'll be arriving in Konoha soon enough." she told her.

Temari sighed and walked over to the carriage as the bodyguards were getting into place. As she climbed in, Gaara and Kankuro came up to her.

"Temari." she heard and turned to see her youngest brother. "Kankuro and I will be outside if you need us." he told her.

She smiled when she heard him say that as well as Kankuro wink. "Thanks Guys." she replied before getting in. Gaara then gently closed it and then the four men lifted the carriage up over their shoulders.

"Let's be on our way everyone." Baki called out. "Konoha is less than a day's trip and we can't be late so we can't be making a lot of stops." he told everyone. That's when everyone started moving forward and within minutes, the party was on the road and headed to the village of Konohagakure No Sato.

[Konoha]

Naruto was looking himself over in the mirror after finishing with his Kimono. He was dressed now in an exquisite uniform with a light blue Date-eri with a slightly deeper shade of blue for his Montsuki Haori jacket that had _"Honored Son"_ on the back, a white Haori-himo and white Obi sash around his waist and navy blue Hakama. His look was finished with white Tabi socks and Setta sandals. Once again, he was a bit disappointed that his mom wasn't gonna let him wear orange, but there was no reasoning with her. He decided to just go ahead with this and truth be told, he actually liked the way this outfit looked. His parents got it for him only recently so he thought that it was a very nice gift from his loving family. Now he just wished that he wasn't so nervous.

Naruto's had a month in preparations for Temari's arrival in Konoha and he's certainly met her before, so why was he so nervous? The days leading up, he's had less and less sleep because he's constantly thinking about what life is gonna be like when he and Temari move in together. He was allowed to read up on her file and he had a good idea of what her Shinobi life was like. She had an impressive record, even for the child of a village leader. Top of her class, and over a dozen more missions under her belt compared to him. But beyond that, he didn't know anything else about her. He didn't know what she was really like or how she felt about him and the arrangement made between their villages. What if she didn't like him?"

"Naruto?" he heard from behind. He turned to see his mother, now wearing her best outfit. Kushina was dressed in a beautiful yellow Kimono decorated with little green dragonflies on the sleeves and dress with a purple Obi sash tied around her waist. She also had her long and beautiful red hair put up in one of those elaborate hairstyles. "Are you okay Honey?" she asked him.

Naruto sighed. "She's coming today." he replied.

"Yes she is." Kushina responded. "How are you feeling though?" she asked him.

"Sick to my stomach." he replied.

Kushina came in and stood before her son. "I don't blame you for being nervous." she told him. "This is a very important event and a lot is hinging on how things go between you and Temari. But you've been working very hard these last few weeks and you've learned everything your Father and I have taught you. I'm sure that everything will be fine and you'll do great. Just be polite to the Suna Delegation, be very nice to Temari and I'm sure everything will go smoothly. All you have to do is be at the gates when everyone arrives, greet Temari as is customs and lead her to the new house." she told him with a smile.

Naruto smiled back. "Thanks Mom." he replied.

"Now let's go, your Father is already at the gates and is waiting for us right now." she told him.

Naruto would make his way downstairs and out the door with his mother right behind him. Once she locked the door behind her, she and Naruto made their way to the village gates.

[Konoha Streets]

Both mother and son walked side by side from their home and out the entrance to the Namikaze Compound before heading towards the village gates. With how everything else in the village went along on a daily basis, it was almost like nothing truly remarkable was going on at all. Then again, the Hokage hadn't announced the engagement between his son and the Kazekage's daughter yet so it should really be no surprise. The only people who knew so far were the village council and a few select Noble Clan Lords and Ladies as well as Naruto's friends who've been working on the new house and offering him their congrats. It's gotten a lot easier to deal with his arrangement over the last month, but it was nice to receive support from his friends.

While they walked, a few civilians looked on at Naruto with some mild disgust like they always did since he was the container of the Kyuubi after all, but they were surprised to see him in such a nice outfit rather then his usual Shinobi uniform. Of course, anytime somebody shot Naruto a dirty look, Kushina would shoot them a cold glare of her own and that would warn them to back off. It really made her mad sometimes whenever people acted so graciously and politely to her and her husband and then the same people act so cold and cruelly to her son. Minato and Kushina had hoped that when Naruto was made the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, it would shine a positive light on him as a hero for taking such a heavy burden. Instead, they were as cruel to him as they used to be towards her.

Eventually, Kushina heard her name called and both she and Naruto would turn and smile when they saw Tsume Inuzuka and both of her children Hana and Kiba. All of them were dressed formally as well for the occasion.

"How're you doing Kushina?" asked Tsume with her usual shit eating grin.

"Fine and you?" she asked her long time friend.

"Still alive and kicking." she replied.

Kushina also turned her attention to the younger Inuzukas. "Hi Hana, hi Kiba." she greeted.

"Kushina-Sama." said Hana with a bow.

"Ma'am." replied Kiba.

"Oh come on kids, I'm friends with you Mother and I've known you all since you were in diapers. There's no need for formalities." she told them cheerfully.

Kushina and Tsume had a long history together that goes back to their time in the academy as students. When they had graduated, Kushina, Tsume and Mikoto were all put on the same team together which was actually a little unusual for team formations, but either way, the three of them were firm friends most of their lives. The three of them went on all sorts of missions together, grew up together and even helped to raise their children together. It was hard on both of them when Mikoto and her husband Fugaku had died several years ago. But Tsume and Kushina would catch up anytime they could. Hana would help out by baby sitting the boys Naruto, Sasuke and her little brother Kiba which is why the three of them became friends as well.

Tsume then turned to Naruto with a grin. "How you doin there Pup?" she asked him.

"I'm managing." he replied. "It's weird to think that I'm getting married now and so soon." he told her.

"For what it's worth, congrats Naruto." she told him.

"Thanks Tsume Oba-San." he replied with a smile.

Kushina would then walk and talk with Tsume and Hana while Kiba walked and talked with Naruto. "How have you been doing Buddy?" asked Kiba. "We haven't really seen you much lately." he told him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that Kiba." replied Naruto. "Over the last month, I've been studying up on everything there's to know about Suna from Culture and Traditions right down to History and Politics." he told him.

"Sounds rough man." replied Kiba. "Hey, can I ask you something?" he then inquired.

"Go ahead." replied Naruto.

"How's it feel?" he asked him. "To actually be engaged so soon I mean." he added.

"It's really weird to think about sometimes." he answered. "It feels even weirder given that Temari and I don't even know each other." he explained.

"I don't know what to say Naruto." said Kiba. "I wish there was something I could do to help out, y'know?" he asked.

"Thanks." said Naruto with a smile to his friend.

The company would walk and talk for a little while longer until they'd reach the gates where Minato was waiting with the village elders Homura and Koharu. The Hokage was dressed in his full Hokage robes and everything complete with the hat with the word _"Fire"_ written on the top in red letters. Kushina and Naruto would stand with the three other people and wait there for the Suna delegation to arrive. As the hours passed, more people would show up to welcome their former enemies and witness what was to happen between the Hokage's son and the Kazekage's daughter. Just about all of Naruto's friends and their parents shown up, all in their finest outfits. Even Sakura came with her parents Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno along with Sasuke and his brother Itachi.

In fact, the only person who was absent was Kakashi and this was really getting on Minato's nerves. "Naruto." Minato said, getting his son's attention.

"Yeah Dad?" he replied.

"If Kakashi isn't here by the time the Suna Delegation has arrived, the next time I send him on a mission, I want you to sneak into his house, find all his Hentai and burn it." he told him.

"Sure thing Dad." said Naruto with a satisfied grin.

It was then Kakashi actually showed up finally, his face still in his book and only putting it away when he arrived right behind Minato and his family.

"Hello Sensei." Kakashi greeted in his usually lazy tone.

"You're late Kakashi." replied Minato.

"I know and I'm sorry about that." Kakashi said while rubbing the back of his neck. "You see, I-" he began before he was cut off.

"Kakashi-Sensei! Nobody wants to hear it or even believe any of your bullshit excuses!" Naruto shouted.

"That's not very nice Naruto." replied the silver haired Jonin. "I'm your Squad Leader so it would be nice if you'd show me a little more respect than that." he told him.

"While Naruto's response is a little inappropriate, he has a point Kakashi." replied Minato. "You really need to make it a habit of being on time for once. You don't wanna make a bad first impression for your new student do you?" he asked him.

"Hmm? New student?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm referring to Temari of course." Minato told him.

"Sensei, I already have three students. I can't really take a fourth student, can I?" he asked him.

"Kakashi, I gotta put her on someone's team and there are no other teams available at the moment." Minato told him. "Besides, Temari is going to marry my Son, so it makes sense to put her on the same squad." he added.

"Well, then I guess I'll need to put her through her paces once she's sworn in, out in the training field." he responded. "I must admit, I'm interested in seeing what she can do." he added.

[An Hour Later]

It was the late afternoon now and the Hokage could see some figures approaching in the distance. Within a few minutes, everyone saw the Suna delegation on the road and headed for the gates of Konoha. Naruto saw at the very front three people in what he could only guess were council members and their village elders. He recogniized the man who's face was covered on one side as Temari, Kankuro and Gaara's sensei and team leader, he just couldn't remember the guys name. Behind them he could see a team of men and women in black cloaks with white masks covering their faces. He guessed that they were Suna's tracker ninja, like how the Anbu Black Ops were Konoha's. He then saw Gaara, Kankuro and two other girls on the left and right of a carriage.

The carriage which was carried on the shoulders of four men had to be where Temari was. Seeing it draw even closer made him feel even more nervous now. Once the delegation had come to a stop, Minato smiled and stepped forward.

"Welcome everyone." he greeted. "Welcome to Konohagakure No Sato. I am Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage and I'm happy that we're able to open our gates to Suna once more." he told them all smiling.

The man who's face was covered stepped forward to shake his hand when Minato offered it. "We are grateful for Konoha's willingness to forgive and welcome us back once more Hokage-Sama." he said respectfully. "I am Baki. I have been chosen to act as Kazekage of Suna until our Council has made their decision on who'll succeed as Godaime Kazekage." he told him.

"I understand." replied Minato. "Am I to understand that this is your Council who's come with the Delegation?" he asked, speaking of the two elderly people to Baki's left and right.

"Allow me to introduce Ebizo and Chiyo. They're our Village Elders and Chief Councilors." he answered.

Both Ebizo and Chiyo stepped forward to address Konoha's village leader. "We are grateful to be so warmly welcomed to Konoha once more, and so soon after our misguided treachery." said Ebizo.

"Indeed." said Chiyo. "The whole village was singing praises in the streets when they heard that you accepted our offer for peace and a new alliance." she told him.

"Very nice to meet you all." replied Minato. "With me are our own Village Elders as well as my Wife and Son." he told them, gesturing to Komura, Koharu, Kushina and Naruto.

Kushina and Naruto stepped forward to greet the Acting Kazekage and Suna's elders as well. "Welcome to Konoha everyone." she smiled. "I hope your journey here was a safe and pleasant one." she told them.

"The weather was nice and we met no trouble along the road, couldn't have asked for more." replied Chiyo. "Now this must be the man of the hour." she said, turning her attention to Naruto.

"Welcome everyone." said Naruto bowing his head to everyone. "Swift and safe travels to you all." he recited.

"Yes, yes of course. It is good to meet you as well young man." replied Ebizo, impressed with Naruto's presentation.

Baki offered to shake his hand to which Naruto accepted. "It is good to meet the Groom face to face at last." said Baki. "Now, allow us to present to you your Bride." he told him, then turning in the direction of the carriage. "Gaara, if you would." he instructed.

Naruto watched as Gaara opened the door to the carriage which was now placed back down on the ground and then extend his hand to help Temari out. His eyes opened wide when he saw her step out with Gaara taking her hand and escorting her over to him. Naruto remembered seeing her only a couple of months ago and he remembered seeing a brash and bold Kunoichi who was ready for whatever the Chinin Exams could throw at her. He watched her fight with Tenten and later Shikamaru and was worried what life was gonna be like once the both of them shared a house together. Now, he could hardly believe that this was the same girl he met months ago during the exams. Her hair, her makeup and her dress made her look very exotic and beautiful.

"We present to you Temari of the Desert. Firstborn child and only Daughter of the late Yondaime Kazekage." said Baki.

She was less than a few feet from him and he could smell the sweet scent of her perfume as his sky blue eyes met her teal green ones. Naruto blushed at the young woman who was presented to him. He thought that she looked so elegant and gorgeous, that he forgot that there were still some protocols he had to fallow.

"Naruto." Kushina whispered, just loud enough for her son to hear her. "Is there something that you'd like to say to your Bride?" she asked.

Everyone watched as Naruto took a step forward and addressed her with a bow before speaking. "Swift and safe travels to you Temari-San." he spoke. "May the road you walk lead you to warm sands and a soothing oasis at your journey's end." he finished.

Everyone was impressed by such a formal and proper greeting. Even Temari smiled, having to admit that it was refreshing to receive a traditional Suna greeting. Clearly, Naruto had been studying up on all her villages customs and her culture.

"I am grateful to you Naruto-San." she replied, addressing him with a bow as well. "Both for your warm welcome and your generous hospitality." she told him.

Both of them looked over to see Baki, Minato, Kushina and the Elders speaking to one another.

"So, here we are." Naruto said, getting Temari's attention.

"Yeah, one month of getting ready for this historic moment." she replied. She then smiled again as she looked him over. "I gotta say Naruto, you clean up very well.' she commented.

"Oh, well thanks." he blushed. "You know, you look very beautiful yourself." he told her, getting a blush from her too.

That was when Kankuro showed up. It looked like he made some changes to his outfit and a new pattern of warpaint on his face. "She certainly didn't act very beautiful this morning." he commented. "You'll find she hates wearing dresses and all the other lady stuff." he added.

Temari was about to retort that but Naruto beat her to it. "That's actually pretty funny, coming from a guy who wears more makeup than most girls I know." he said back, commenting on the new pattern of purple warpaint on his face.

"It's not Makeup, it's Warpaint!" he shouted. "How many times do I have to explain that?!" he freaked with Temari doing her best not to laugh at his reaction.

That was when Gaara entered the group to speak with the boy who beat him months ago. "Naruto Namikaze." he spoke, getting the young blonde to turn to him.

"Oh hey, Gaara. What's up buddy?" he asked with a grin as he turned to speak with his fellow Jinchuuriki.

While they talked, Kankuro and Temari watched in bewilderment as their youngest sibling spoke so calmly and so casually with the same guy who put him in the hospital not long ago.

"I, just don't get it." said Temari. "How is it one moment they're at each other's throats and trying to kill one another and the next, it's all water under the bridge and they're friends?" she asked.

"Why are you asking me?" he asked his older sister back.

Temari turned when she heard the Hokage approach and all of them turned to address the village leader of Konoha. "Temari." he said calmly.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama?" she asked him.

"I want you to know that both of your Brothers as well as your Sensei Baki will always be welcome here in Konoha." he told her before turning back to the rest of the delegation. "As is anyone else who wishes to attend the wedding." he added.

"We actually do have a list of Noble Lords and Ladies who're hoping to receive an invitation to the wedding Hokage-Sama." replied Ebizo. "We were hoping to speak with you about that while we negotiate the terms of the union." he told him.

"And so we shall." he replied. "But for now, we can put all that off until tomorrow. You've had a long journey to get here and I'd like it if you'd find comfort and a chance to rest first. I will escort you all to our finest Hotel and tomorrow. The hospitality of my home is yours, for as long as you need it." he told them.

"You do us a grate honor Hokage-Sama." replied Baki.

Minato then turned to his son. "Naruto, would you please escort Temari to the new house?" he asked him.

Naruto nodded and then remembering procedures, extended his hand, offering to take hers. Temari then followed suite and gently rested her own hand within his. Naruto was actually surprised by how soft and warm her hand felt in his. He'd seen her fight before and never would have thought that her hands could still feel like silk in his fingers. Everyone then watched as the Hokage's son walked side by side with the Kazekage's daughter through the gates and in the direction to the Namikaze compound. Kiba, who stood with his mom and sister, noticed Hinata, who stood with her father and her sister. She had a very sad look on her face as she watched Naruto lead Temari down the road through Konoha's streets and towards their new home.

It felt a little strange for Naruto and Temari, walking hand in hand with someone that they still didn't know very well. Since she was older, she was a little taller than him too. Naruto was about four feet, eight inches tall while she was about five foot two. While they walked, Naruto noticed Temari's mood change and then had a thought.

"Hey Dad?" he called back, stopping with Temari right next to him. "Can Gaara and Kankuro come over too? I was hoping to catch up with them as well." he told him.

Minato turned back to the Acting Kazekage. "I have no problem with it, but what about you Baki-San?" he asked.

"Kankuro and Gaara aren't needed at the very moment." he replied. "If they wish to visit their future Brother in Law, I see no problem with it." he told them.

"Very well." Minato replied with a smile. "I'll see to it that they're escorted to their Hotel rooms tonight once it's time." he added.

Naruto noticed that Temari was smiling again as Kankuro and Gaara came up to join their troop. She knew that Naruto was actually trying to buy her some more time to spend with her brothers and it was very sweet of him. While they walked, Temari wondered what other surprises were in store for her once she moves in with Naruto.

[Author's Notes] So as you can see, same direction as before but I did make some changes that I forgot to a while back. One of the things I did was of course have more interactions between Naruto and his parents as well as have some interactions between Temari, Yukata and Matsuri. Something else I thought would be a neat idea was a close relationship between Naruto and Kiba's families. A lot of fanfictions I've read in the past where Naruto's parents live, Kushina has a strong friendship with Tsume and Mikoto so I've decided to do that with my story too. I also decided to show an example of how close they are by having Naruto call Tsume Oba-San which in some parts of Japan is something you do for a family friend.

My mother was close friends with a Japanese immigrant and when I was little, I used to call her my Aunt because she allowed it.

Anyway, thanks you all so much for reading my stories, please let me kno what you think by leaving either a Review or a PM as I love getting them.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	5. The New House

[Konoha Streets]

Naruto was walking side by side with Temari while both of her brothers were walking behind them. Shortly after they began their trip to the Namikaze Compound, Temari let go of his hand. Naruto really didn't mind though to be honest. Both of them have already followed the proceedings and customs for when a bride and groom have been introduced and they've put on an acceptable first impression before the village so now they could simply drop the formalities and give one another their space. Right now, both of them had one thing in mind and that was checking out the new house provided for them and then getting dressed back into their usual uniforms. They've spent over a month preparing for this day and now they've finally got it done.

While he wasn't really sure about her at the very moment, Naruto was feeling a little uncomfortable with the silence and decided to see if she at least wanted to talk with him.

"So um, I hope you and your Brothers had a safe trip here." he said getting her attention.

"Very uneventful, but yes, quite safe and pleasant. Thank you." she replied.

Things got quiet and a little awkward between Naruto and Temari again so Naruto quickly thought of something else. "So, I was wondering why you're not carrying more luggage. I mean since you are the one moving from Suna to here." Naruto said, getting her to look at him again while they kept walking.

"You don't really think I'd drag all my crap from one village to another in boxes and bags do you?" she asked raising a brow. She then reached into the sleeves of her dress and pulled out a couple of scrolls. "All of my things have been sealed away in sealing scrolls so packing up and unpacking wouldn't be a hassle." she told him.

"Oh right, I forgot that was an option." he replied chuckling a bit.

"You didn't forget that Ninja can use sealing scrolls for moving right Squirt?" asked Kankuro while Gaara remained quiet. "I mean, you did use them too when you left your Folks place right?" he asked him.

"Well, why would I bother?" Naruto asked back. "I'm not leaving Konoha and I'm not even leaving my Family's Compound. I was simply moving next door from my Parents house and into another. Mom and Dad are now gonna be our next door neighbors." he told them.

Temari then thought she'd ask Naruto something this time. "Is the Namikaze Compound a very nice place?" she asked him.

"Oh, I think you'll like it." he replied smiling. "It's nothing at all like one of those over decorative houses like the nobles live in. It's simple and practical but at the same time, it looks great. In fact, it was just recently fixed up, cleaned and refurbished so I think you'll find it quite nice." he told her.

Temari actually smiled a little hearing that. "Then I look forward to seeing it." she replied.

It didn't take long before Naruto led Temari and her brothers to the gates of his family's compound. Temari saw the joint Namikaze and Uzumaki Emblems above the entrance and thought that the pattern was quite pretty. She also realized that soon, this would be her new family emblem since she was gonna have to marry Naruto. It was still a little strange to say the least, but at the same time it wasn't really a bad thing for her either. She looked as they passed through the gate to see a very simple but lovely house.

"Is this it, or your Parents?" she asked him.

"Yeah, that's where Mom and Dad live." he replied. "Our house is right next door." he told her, gesturing for her to look in the direction he was pointing.

Temari saw the house he was pointing to and thought it looked very nice. It had a very similar look to the Hokage's house. White walls, wooden beams and a very traditional yet at the same time very practical look to it. It must have been the fact that it was recently fixed up like Naruto said because she could tell that it didn't look very old at all. Upon first glance, you'd think it was built recently from scratch by and army of workers. She had to give Konoha credit where it was do, they knew how to build very lovely homes. The charming windows and porches which offered shade so you could just sit down and relax out front as part of the architecture was definitely something to admire. Houses in Suna were different from ones in Konoha but this was very nice.

"Well, what do you think?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"It is very lovely." she commented.

"You don't find houses like these back in Suna, that's for damn sure." said Kankuro.

Gaara took a moment to look over the house while Naruto and his siblings watched and waited to see his reaction. "Yes, I believe it'll do for my Sister." he finally said. "I believe that she deserves only the best and this house will do quite nicely for her." he added.

"Just give me a couple of months to work in the gardens." Naruto said with a grin. "I'll have flowers blooming in the gardens in no time." he told them.

Temari looked over and raised a brow at that. "You garden?" she asked.

"It's one of my personal hobbies." he replied. "I enjoy doing three different things in my spare time and that's gardening, cooking and pulling pranks on people." he said with an even wider grin.

Temari gave him a funny look at that. "...Pulling pranks?" she asked.

"It's a ton of fun." he replied. "You didn't know that I do that did you?" he asked her.

"None of the information in your file says anything like that at all." she told him. "From what I was able to learn, you graduated seventh in your class from the academy, are skilled in both Ninjutsu and close quarter combat as well as Kenjutsu and you have an unhealthy addiction to ramen." she listed.

Naruto smiled and started rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, that about sums me up. I also..." he stopped himself and his smile dropped at the last part. "Unhealthy? You make that sound like a bad thing. Wait, you don't hate ramen do you?" he asked, getting a little nervous.

"No I enjoy a bowl from time to time." she answered. "I just hope we won't only be eating ramen because I wanna make sure we're both having a well balanced diet. It's important for ninja to have one." she told him.

'Ugh, she sounds just like Mom.' he thought while grumbling.

"Can we go inside now?" Kankuro asked.

"I am actually interested in seeing the inside of the house myself." Gaara added.

"Oh, right." Naruto replied. "Come on." he told them heading up. Naruto was about to walk in when he remembered something else his parents ran by him. He opened the door and stepped aside for Temari. "Temari." he said while gesturing for her to enter the house first.

She smiled and walked past him. "Such a gentleman." she complimented before walking in, followed by Kankuro and then Gaara. Naruto would then follow right behind them.

[With The Hokage]

Minato was outside one of Konoha's finest hotels after escorting the Suna Delegation to their destination. He had just finished booking everyone and was now speaking with Baki one last time.

"Is there anything else I can offer all of you before I take my leave?" Minato asked.

"No, thank you Hokage-Sama." replied Baki. "We should be able to handle everything from here on our own, I'm just gonna see to it that our Elders get some rest." he told him.

"Then I will return to my duties." he told him. "We will meet tomorrow morning at the Hokage Tower where we'll discuss the details and set a date for my Son's marriage to the Lady Temari. In the meantime, please rest and enjoy whatever it is we have to offer. The hospitality of my home is yours for as long as you need it." he promised.

"You do us a great Honor Hokage-Sama." he replied with a bow.

Minato and Kushina watched as they headed inside before taking their leave. "So Kushina, shall we head home and change into something a bit more comfortable before we drop by our Son's new house for a visit?" he asked his wife.

"Oh yes, let's hurry up." she replied eagerly. "I haven't had a chance to speak with Temari yet and I can't wait to finally meet her." she told him.

[With Naruto And Temari]

Everybody was currently in the new living room of the house as Naruto was giving them all a tour. Temari was greeted by a very nice, yet practical looking room with a TV up against the wall with three different light blue couches around it, a sofa, a love seat and a stand alone chair all arranged in a semi square so that the people sitting could have a comfortable view of both the television and the other people in the room. The carpet was a simple light tan and smelled like it had been recently shampooed. The markings on the floor showed that Naruto wasn't kidding when he said it was seriously cleaned up. There were also end tables with lamps near the couches, a coffee table in the center and pictures of flowers on the walls.

Near the front door entrance was a closet which had a fair amount of room for where Naruto and Temari could hang their coats and even store some of their shinobi gear. There was a small opening on one of the walls where you could peer through and see the kitchen which was also joined side by side with the dining room and the downstairs bathroom. The kitchen area interested her because there were stools step up near the counter where people could sit and eat their rather then just the dining room. The dining room itself was also very nice. Same light tan carpet with a lamp at two opposing corners of the room and a dining room table with room for four chairs. It also could be extended and add another four chairs for a party of eight if they ever wanted too.

Temari took a look in the kitchen to see that there was already a stove and oven on one side of the room and on the other side, a sink and dishwasher. There were also cabinets both on the wall and beneath the counters. She opened them up to see that they were all empty. She opened up the fridge near the entrance to the kitchen to see both it and the freezer were empty too.

"Yeah sorry." Naruto said, getting her to look in his direction. "Like I said, the house was only finished just recently and I've spent the whole month studying most of the days so I haven't had a chance to fill anything up yet with food and such." he told her.

"Alright, but I want us to begin work on that tomorrow." she replied. "Also, I'd like to take a look at the backyard real quick before we go upstairs." she added.

Naruto led Temari and her brothers out the backdoor and onto the porch where they got the full view of their new backyard. The porch itself was very nice. A clean and polished wood and much to Temari's delight, an Onsen bath. She smiled when she saw the large wooden bath, grateful that she had one now when she couldn't before. Back in Suna, water wasn't a luxury. All water came from the underground oasis in the center of their village. The water had never run out in the century they've been a hidden village, but there were times the water level was a little lower than normal. It was also guarded twenty four hours a day by their tracker ninjas to make sure nobody would steal it. The idea of having an Onsen was a fantasy in Suna and only that.

'I know what I'm gonna be doing in my spare time.' she thought with a small grin.

The backyard itself was also very appealing as well. Very spacious and clear which would be very good for training in private. There was a single tree off to the side of the yard which offered shade in case you wanted to simply relax underneath in the nice soft grass. She saw one spot where three wooden posts were set up. She guessed that Naruto or somebody set those up so they could be used for target practice with kunai or shuriken. So far, Temari was pleased with what she was seeing. Clearly, the Namikaze clan offered great grounds for efficient shinobi training. Then again, this was the compound where the 4th Hokage lived with his family and his reputation was legendary. It only made sense that he'd offer his son the best training too.

Once they were finished looking out back, they all went back in the house with Naruto entering last and closing the sliding screen door behind them.

"I gotta say, this is actually a really nice place." said Kankuro.

Gaara looked around before turning back to Naruto. "May we see the upstairs as well?" he asked him.

"Sure, follow me." he replied, leading them all upstairs.

Naruto then led Temari and her brothers upstairs which brought them all to a hallway at the very top. Naruto then led them to the door at the end of the hallway on the right which turned out to be a study. There was already a desk with a lamp next to it and several book shelves where scrolls and books could be kept. There was also another closet in the study which had racks for weapons. Temari thought this was very good as it offered another suitable place for them to study privately and in a nice quiet learning environment. To the opposite of the study was the upstairs bathroom. It didn't look too different from the downstairs one except it had a shower and larger mirror behind the sink. The place looked and smelled nice and fresh and she hoped they could keep it that way.

Naruto then opened another door to one of the bedrooms. Temari's smile faded when she saw that there was only one bed and it was a large queen mattress with white sheets, blanket, cover and pillow. This was actually something she was worried about since the day she was told that she was engaged. She'd heard stories about how couples in arranged marriages would live together before they were wed and that sometimes, the groom would force his bride to start sleeping with him right off the bat. Now Naruto was a pretty decent guy sure, but she wasn't ready to do that yet. The older blonde turned and was just about to give him a piece of her mind when Naruto spoke first.

"And this will be your room." he said with his usual grin. He then opened up the door opposite to the room she was currently looking at. "And mine is right across from yours." he told her.

Now that actually surprised her when she heard him say that. "My own room?" she asked.

Naruto's smile dropped when he heard her ask that. "Well, yeah." he replied. "I mean, I know that we're engaged but we're not married yet and it would probably be kinda weird to start sharing a room now. Did you want to though?" he asked her.

"Oh no." she replied smiling again. "You're right, this is for the best." she told him.

She then walked inside and took a quick look around, already deciding where she's put her things once she finishes getting dressed and begins unpacking.

"I thought since you were the one who's moving from Suna to here and that you'd probably have more things since you come from a bigger family, I'd give you the bigger room." he told her, getting Temari to look back over with a raised brow at that. Naruto smile dropped again when he saw the expression on her face. "Why? Did you want the smaller room? Because I haven't unpacked any of my things yet and I don't mind switching if that's what you want." he told her.

Temari smiled again and walked up to the door of her new room. "No, this is very nice. Thank you Naruto." she replied. "Now, there are three very important rules if you and I are gonna be living together." she added.

"Um, okay." he replied.

"Rule number one." she began, holding up one finger. "Keep this place clean. I like a nice clean house but I'm not anybody's housemaid. You make a mess, you clean it up." she told him.

"Okay." he replied again.

"Rule number two." she continued, now holding up two fingers. "I do not cook all the meals in this house. If we're living together, then I expect you to pull your weight and cook some nights as well. If it's your turn to cook dinner, remember that my favorite dishes are Vegetable Soup and Roasted Chestnuts." she instructed.

"Alright." he answered.

"Rule number three." she said now placing her hand on her door. "And this is the most important rule in the house." she said before her smile disappeared from her face. "Stay out of my room." she finished before slamming the door and leaving Naruto outside with Kankuro and Gaara.

Kankuro smiled and looked over to Naruto once Temari finished laying down the law. "Hey Squirt, since Gaara and I have lived with her the longest I feel it's important that we tell you that our Sister is really really Bossy." he told him.

"I HEARD THAT!" shouted an angry teen from behind her door.

"Is that okay?" he asked back.

"You better shut you mouth and stop slandering me Kankuro!" she shouted back.

Kankuro then turned back to Naruto. "She's actually really cool and pretty nice once you get to know her." he told him.

"I hope so." Naruto replied. "Anyway, I gotta get dressed real quick. You guys wanna wait for me downstairs and I'll be down in a minute so we can just relax and talk." he told them.

"Sure thing." he replied. "Also, is there anything to eat? I could go for a hot meal right about now." he told him.

"I am actually a little hungry myself." Gaara added.

"Would you like me to order you guys a Pizza when Tamari comes back down?" he offered.

Both of them nodded and Naruto came up and gently knocked on Temari's door. "What?" he heard on the other side.

"Temari, I'm gonna order a Pizza soon, did you want anything on it?" he asked her.

"Order whatever you want, I'll be fine with it." she replied.

Naruto then nodded before heading back into his new room while Gaara and Kankuro headed back downstairs. Naruto decided to dress more casually, putting on a plain pair of blue shorts, a white tee shirt and some white socks. He then headed downstairs to see Kankuro and Gaara sitting on the sofa and just relaxing.

"So Squirt, I just have to ask ya how does it feel to be engaged already?" Kankuro asked him.

Naruto didn't really know how to answer in a way that he wouldn't offend either of Temari's brothers so he down played his feelings of the engagement just a bit. "To be honest, I'm still trying to fully process it all." he answered. "I never expected this to really happen to me and not so soon." he added.

Kankuro smirked and even chuckled a bit. "You should have seen Temari when Sensei had to tell her that she was gonna get married." he told him. "The look on her face was priceless." he added.

"I take it then that she wasn't happy with the idea of marrying me?" he asked back.

"Well, she didn't know it was you who was chosen to be her Groom right away." he replied. "At first, she was mad that she was being forced into this whole thing. But once we told her that it was you, she actually handled it a whole lot better than how I thought she was going to." he explained.

"So, she's doesn't have too much of a problem with me then?" he asked.

"Well, for the most part, I think she's just happy that it's someone she's already met and close to her age." he answered. "From there on out, she'd spend most of the day locked away in a study with Sensei who had to drill just about everything we knew about Konoha into her head." he told him.

Naruto could relate. He remembered how after his parents explained that he was marrying Temari that he was gonna have to cut a lot of time training for studying. That whole month was a pain. Sasuke and Sakura got to spend plenty of time training with Kakashi-Sensei, probably learning all sorts of cool jutsus while he had his face buried in scrolls and books about everything that was worth learning about Suna. It did help to know that he wasn't really alone when it came to being forced into something.

"Naruto Namikaze." Gaara finally said, getting back up from the spot where he was sitting. "I have an important favor I need to ask you." he told him, now standing face to face with him.

"Sure Gaara, what's up?" Naruto asked his future brother in law.

"Ever since our Father died, Temari and Kankuro are the only family I have left." he told him. "Ever since our fight during the battle between our villages, I took what you told me to heart. Even if I still didn't fully understand what it meant to have someone who's precious to you. As I opened up to my Brother and Sister, I came to see the truth in your words. I actually decided to put others before myself and I'm trying to open up to my Family." he explained before taking a step forward. "When Temari learned she was engaged, I saw the distress she was in and I felt great worry for her. For the first time in a very long time, I actually felt heartache for my Sister because she seemed so distraught." he explained to him as Kankuro watched the interaction.

Gaara then placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "When I heard that you were the one our Village chose to merry her, I was glad." he continued. "I knew that they made a good choice in the Man who is meant to be Temari's Husband. I had faith that you're the person who's capable of showing her the respect she deserves both as a kunoichi and as my Sibling. Now all I ask is that you please take care of my Older Sister since she won't be living with me and Kankuro anymore." he finished.

Naruto smiled and responded by placing his hand on Gaara's shoulder too. "I promise, I'll look after her and treat her well Gaara." he replied with a confident smile. "And you can rest easy knowing that I'll never go back on my word." he declared.

Gaara nodded and turned to head back to the sofa with Kankuro who was smiling. "I'm glad to hear that." he replied. "Because if you ever hurt my Sister in any way, I'll kill you." he said calmly, making Naruto gulp nervously.

"I'm gonna have to side with Gaara on this one Squirt." Kankuro spoke up. "You ever harm or disrespect Temari, and you'll have the both of us to answer to." he warned.

Naruto's mind wondered to a short fantasy of Temari running to Kankuro and Gaara while crying her eyes out and telling them how he was mean and hurt her feelings which compelled Kankuro to cut him up and set him on fire with his Crow Puppet while Gaara then crushes him under several tons of sand.

"I'll...keep that in mind." he replied finally. That was when they all heard a knock at the front door. 'Huh, I didn't know we were gonna have guests tonight.' he thought. Naruto headed over and opened the door. When he saw who it was, he smiled brightly at the people who were there. "Oh, hey!" he greeted cheerfully.

[Temari's Room]

Temari had spent a decent amount of time unpacking her things from her sealing scrolls and placing them in the spots in her new room. She wasn't expecting the new bed so she was somewhat annoyed with packing her old bed only to have a new one. It was a nice gift mind you, but now she had two beds. She figured she'd sell or give away her old bed if she can find someone willing to take it. She also put her end table next to the bed with her decorative lamp placed on it. She then put her dresser on one side of the room and her wardrobe on the other side. She also put her vanity on the opposite end of the room from where her new bed is as well as a bookshelf close to her end table so she could read her books before going to sleep.

Once she had finished unpacking, she decided that now was a good time to get changed and she was more than happy to finally get out of the dress. It's not that she hated it at all and it really was quite beautiful, but she didn't like having to be all prettied up and treated like a fragile doll for all the world to see. She was a ninja and proud of it. Temari would dress quickly back into her new kunoichi's uniform. Her new uniform was a long sleeved purple kunoichi's blouse underneath a grey top with a dark blue battle skirt and a long red sash tied into a bow around her waist. She also cleaned off all the makeup she had put on that morning and put her hair back up into her favorite style of four spiky pigtails. The last thing she put on was her Hitai Ate.

Before getting back up, she looked at herself one more time in the mirror of her vanity. She brought one of her hands up to lightly touch the piece of metal and cloth that hung around her neck and ran her fingers over the hourglass symbol that was the insignia of Suna. Tonight was one of the last nights she was gonna be able to wear this headband. Once she was sworn into Konoha, she was gonna have to take it off for good and forever wear the Konoha headband with the leaf symbol. While to many, it seems foolish to get so sentimental over a piece of metal and cloth but it wasn't like that for her at all. Temari was proud of her status as a sand ninja. She worked really hard to earn the right to wear this headband and was proud the day she received it.

And now, she was gonna have to trade it in for a different one all because of this stupid arrangement. She sighed and stood back up from her seat but just as she was about to walk to the door, she had to catch herself from falling after losing balance for a moment. She started breathing hard and doing her best to gain control of her emotions.

'Easy Temari, easy.' she thought while huffing and sweating a little. 'Just control your breathing and focus on what's at hand. Remember, you're the Kazekage's Daughter and a capable Kunoichi. You have a job to do and an example to set. You cannot be ruled by your emotions.' she thought as she took a deep breath and finally calming herself down. Once she had everything under control, she headed out the door to see if Naruto had ordered those pizzas yet because aside from a few rice crackers she had this morning, she didn't really get a lot to eat and right now she was famished. As soon as she stepped out of her new room, Temari thought she saw Naruto in the hallway. "Hey Naruto, did you order the food yet?" she asked him.

That was when she realized that it wasn't Naruto. He was too tall and although blonde hair and blue eyed, he didn't have the same whisker markings on his cheeks. He also whore a standard dark blue jonin uniform. Minato smiled when he turned to face the young Suna ninja. "Ah, there you are Temari. It's nice to see you again." he told her.

"Hokage-Sama." she replied, surprised because she wasn't expecting him to visit so soon and slightly embarrassed for mistaking him for Naruto. She then calmed down and bowed her head in respect. "Safety and Peace Hokage-Sama. May you find Comfort, Rest and Tranquility beneath the shade of the leaves." she rehearsed.

Minato smiled and bowed as well before standing back up straight. "I am both deeply impressed and honored to receive a traditional Konoha greeting Temari. I can tell that you've worked hard in studying our ways." he told her. "But there's no need for anymore formalities. We've taken care of all of that earlier today. Please, just call me Minato." he finished.

"I-I cannot disrespect you in such a way Hokage-Sama." she replied. Temari spent most of her childhood having proper manners and protocol practically drilled into her. She had to remain professional all the time, even when she was in the presence of her own father the Kazekage.

"Disrespect me?" he asked chuckling a bit before stepping forward and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Temari, a man's title can be removed as easily as the shirt he wears on his back. Besides, you'll be joining our Family and I don't want you to feel like you have to impress us all the time. Just relax and let's enjoy one another's company." he told her.

"I...Alright, thank you Sir." she replied before smiling. Clearly, Konoha's leadership was a lot more laid back and easy going than Suna's. Or maybe that was just Naruto's family, she didn't know. All she knew was that she was really happy to just relax and let her hair down, so to speak for a change rather than having to constantly follow protocol.

"Now come on, Kushina's downstairs and she really wants to meet you." the Hokage told her. Temari smiled as she followed him so they could join everyone else.

Temari followed Minato downstairs where she saw Naruto and her brothers talking with the lady Kushina. She was surprised to see how different now from before. Earlier today, she was dressed in a full Kimono with her long red hair up in an elaborate style. She hadn't had a chance to speak with her yet but she thought that she looked so elegant and gorgeous. Now, although she still looked very beautiful, she was wearing in a simple yet lovely green dress and allowed her long red hair to run freely down her back. She barely took two steps into the living room when the Hokage's wife turned to see her and smile.

"Oh, Temari there you are." she greeted with a warm and welcoming smile.

Temari smiled back and bowed forward respectfully. "It's very nice to finally..." she was cut off and surprised when Kushina rushed forward to embrace her in a tight and warm hug.

"My goodness, you're even more beautiful up close Temari." Kushina told her smiling brightly.

"I...uh...thank you lady Kushina." she replied, once again at a loss at how informal and almost overbearingly friendly Naruto's parents were.

"So, now that we're all here, I was thinking that we could all have dinner together. Temari, have you eaten yet?" She asked her.

"Naruto said he was gonna order a pizza." she replied.

"Pizza?" Kushina asked, turning to her son. "Naruto, that's hardly an appropriate dinner for Temari's first night here with us. We need a delicious home cooked meal." she told him.

"But we don't have any ingredients. We've been so busy with studying and getting ready for today, that I haven't had a chance to stock up the fridge." he told her.

"That's no problem at all." she replied waving her hand. "Minato and I will run back to the house, bring some food over and we'll all have dinner tonight." she told them.

"That's very kind of you Lady Kushina, but I don't wanna trouble you. I'm fine with a pizza." said Temari.

"It's no trouble at all." she replied. "And there's no need to be so formal so please, call me Kushina." she told her.

That was when Minato took hold of his wife's hand and they both vanished with the Hokage using the Hiraishin No Jutsu. It was the first time Temari or her brothers have ever seen the jutsu and they were amazed by it.

"Hey Naruto, are you able to do that yet?" Temari asked him.

"Dad's letting me study it in my free time and he's explained the basics, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet." he replied. "It's all about time and space theories and such which is really confusing." he added.

That was when in an instant, Minato and Kushina reappeared in the living room with bags of meat, vegetables and other ingredients. "I hope you're all hungry." she chimed.

[Konoha Streets]

The Sun had finally set now and Kiba Inuzuka was walking home with Akamaru walking with him. Today was a pretty rough day for the both of them. After the ceremony where Temari was presented to Naruto by the Suna Delegation, the both of them went out to Team 8's training ground where Kurenai really put them through their paces. She wanted them to catch up on a lot they missed out on because they spent a month acting the part of laborers and building a house for the now betrothed Naruto and Temari. Kiba still had a hard time believing that his friend was now already gonna get married. Naruto was no older than he was and very soon, he was gonna have to exchange marriage vows and live with someone who was once their enemy.

As they walked, Kiba saw a lone figure sitting on the swings at the park. As his vision came into focus, he realized that it was Hinata and he noticed that her expression hadn't really changed at all. "Hey Akamaru, you think we should go over and talk to Hinata?" he asked his ninken.

Hinata was gently swaying back and forth on the swing, thinking about the events from earlier today. For well over a month, Hinata had been trying to make peace with losing her chances with Naruto. When the Hokage announced that he was now engaged to Temari, it broke her heart. She used to dream of being the one girl who'd catch Naruto's attention. She even wouldn't have minded at all if it was her who was engaged to him through their parents. Naruto was the son of the Hokage so it could have been acceptable to her clan. For weeks afterwards, she'd cry herself to sleep over it. Once she had a chance to finally come to terms, she believed that she had finally accepted it and moved on. That was until the Suna Delegation arrived with Temari.

Seeing the ceremony where Naruto and Temari were presented to one another as the Bride and Groom as well as when Naruto took her by the hand to lead her to their new house brought back all the painful memories of losing him. Hinata fought harder than she ever had to keep herself from crying. She was standing with her father and couldn't afford to show weakness by breaking down and crying as she watched the boy she loved for so long now with another girl. And so for the last few hours, she'd been sitting alone here in a park and gently swaying back and forth on the swing. She had already finished her crying and was now just in a sad and tired state. She wanted to move on but she just didn't know how to.

"Hey." called a familiar voice which spooked her.

She turned to see her teammate smiling down at her. "K-K-Kiba-Kun." she stuttered.

"I don't wanna pry, but you've been looking really down lately." he said.

"I..." she began, not really knowing what to say. That was when Akamaru jumped up into her lap. She smiled softly and started petting him while he gently licked her fingers.

"Hinata, as one of your teammates and a friend, I'm worried about you." said the Inuzuka boy who took a seat next to her on the swings. "Will you let me help you? What's wrong?" he asked her.

Hinata smiled and let Kiba take her hand in his while they talked.

[Naruto And Temari's House]

"Itadakimasu." everyone at the table said in unison.

Shortly after getting the ingredients, Kushina prepared a wonderful meal for everyone. She also brought extras to share with Naruto and Temari so that they'd have extra because they were planning on going on a shopping trip tomorrow. Kushina was also gonna be going to the store soon so she was fine with sharing some food from her house. At the table, Minato sat at the head of the large rectangular dinner table with Kushina sitting to his right and Naruto to his left. Gaara took a seat next to Naruto because he simply wanted to sit with his friend and Temari sat with Kushina. Finally, Kankuro sat at the other end with siblings to his left and right. Once everyone thanked the Lady Kushina for the meal she prepared, plates and bowls with food were being passed around.

"Miss Kushina, everything is delicious." Kankuro complimented.

"Thank you very much Kankuro." she replied happily.

"Indeed Honey, you've really outdone yourself." Minato said while enjoying his wife's well prepared dinner.

Naruto looked over to Temari who looked like she was really enjoying the food and the company. "So Temari, are Gaara and Kankuro staying too?" he asked.

"For a few days." she replied. "But once negotiations between Konoha and Suna are done, they'll be returning to our Village." she told him. She then looked over to Minato. "I take it the Suna Delegation will be speaking with Konoha's Council tomorrow?" she asked him.

"Yes. Both Kushina and I will be there to speak with Suna's Council and the acting Kazekage on the terms for your engagement." he told her. "So tomorrow, I'd like you all to relax and simply enjoy yourselves and what Konoha has to offer." he told her before turning to his son. "In fact, perhaps you can give Temari and her Brothers a full tour of the Village Naruto. I'm sure they'd really appreciate getting a chance to going on a sight seeing trip." he told him.

"Sure, I don't mind." he replied smiling. "Temari and I are gonna do some much needed shopping anyway for food and other necessities and it would be cool to hang out with you guys for a while longer too." he told them, getting Kankuro, Temari and even Gaara to smile.

Once dinner was done, everyone gathered in the living room where Minato and Kushina presented some very nice house warming presents to their son and future daughter in law. Kushina first presented a vacuum cleaner and Temari smiled looking at it.

'I know what Naruto's gonna be doing with a lot of his free time too.' he thought with a smirk.

They were also delighted when they received a microwave, a toaster, a coffee maker which Temari was glad for because she really liked starting her mornings with a nice hot cup of coffee. A tea maker which was something else she was glad for, some pots and pans for cooking later, Kushina shared one of her many cook books so they'd have some decent plans for dinner in the future, some decorative pictures which Temari planned to put up on the walls in the rooms and the hallways later as well as a very nice variety of other nice gifts. Once all the gifts were opened, everyone would take seats in the living room and talk over some nice hot cups of tea made from their new tea maker and the siblings had to admit, Konoha made really nice teas.

Eventually, Minato and Kushina decided that it was time to go and they offered to escort Kankuro and Gaara to their hotel. Temari gave both her brothers a hug and wished them a good night before they left for the evening, leaving her and Naruto alone in the house together. Naruto looked over and could tell that she looked pretty tired. His mom did advise that he offer to help her out however he can whenever he can.

"Hey Temari?" he asked, getting her attention. "I'll go ahead and take care of the cleaning tonight. If there's something else you wanna do or if you simeply wanna go to bed, be my guest." he told her.

Temari was happy to receive such a generous offer but didn't want him to ware himself out for her. "That's very nice Naruto, but are you sure you don't want any help? I don't mind at all." she told him.

"It's no trouble at all." he replied with a grin, bringing his fingers up to form his signature hand sign. She saw him summon four clones of himself all standing in a line. "Okay, you work on cleaning the kitchen, you on the dinning room, you in the living room and you on the dishes. I'll start in the kitchen and work my way around till the place is nice and clean." he told them, all walking off to do the chores Naruto assigned them.

'Oh right, Kage Bunshin.' she thought as she watched them all get to work. 'I forgot that Naruto can use clones very creatively.' she said to herself.

Naruto and his clones would work on cleaning all the rooms and finish doing the dishes. Upstairs, Temari was taking a shower and relaxing as the hot water washed over her. She didn't take too long. She just wanted to feel nice and clean before dropping into her bedroom and going to sleep. She did stay up for a little while longer because she still had a lot on her mind from earlier today. She glanced over at her Suna Hitai Ate which lay on her vanity. Tomorrow was gonna be one of the last days she was gonna be permitted to wear her village's hand band. Once she swore her oath to Konoha, she'd be a Leaf ninja for the rest of her life. She kept on thinking about this until she finally yawned and felt ready to go to sleep.

She'd lay in her bed and listen to the sounds of Naruto climbing into the shower as well. Seems like he was done with the cleaning and wanted to wash up before bed. It still seemed pretty weird to her, thinking about this situation. Naruto and her were sharing a house together and furthermore, they were engaged to be married. Soon, they were gonna exchange their vows and spend the rest of their lives together as well as raise children. Thinking about the meeting that was gonna take place between both councils, she had hoped that they'd at the very least come to a very reasonable agreement for the both of them. She knew what arranged marriages involved but she wasn't ready to start having children yet. She hoped that they'd take that into consideration.

In the room opposite to hers, Naruto was up and thinking about this as well. Tonight was his first night sleeping in his new house. He was now no longer living with his mom and dad. He may have lived on the same compound as them sure, but it was still something he had to get used to. The weirder thing was that he was now sharing his house with a girl. And not just any girl, Gaara's sister. Once the terms were agreed upon between both councils, Naruto and Temari were gonna have to get married. This was really one of the strangest things he's ever thought to happen to him. Naruto barely even said anything to Temari when she, Kankuro and Gaara came to their village months ago for the chunin exam and later fight a fierce battle.

And now, they were engaged to be married. Naruto was only thirteen and in no way sure if he was really ready for this. To say that he was anxious would have been an understatement. Sure, Temari was being really nice now but what if later down the road she comes to really not like him? What if he later on comes to find that he really doesn't like her? What kind of life would they have if they were forced to marry someone they hated? Naruto had seen other couples out in Konoha before and while many of them seemed to love and care for one another like his mom and dad do, others often act like they can't stand each other. Naruto didn't want to be trapped in a relationship like that. He just hoped that things will turn out okay for them in the end.

Tomorrow was gonna be a meeting between his father, his mother, their village council and the Suna Delegation. Tomorrow was gonna be the day that their fates were to be decided by both their villages. Naruto knew his parents weren't gonna screw him over on this. He had faith that they were gonna try and come through for him. He also remembered that his folks promised that they were gonna try and help him out every step of the way to get through his life with Temari. Still, this kept him awake for a time. This wasn't a trivial thing, this was marriage. Naruto and Temari were gonna be forced to make a really big commitment to one another and however optimistic you are, there's no telling what the future was gonna bring.

He only hoped that his future with Temari was gonna be a bright and hopeful one.

[Autgor's Notes] So as you all can see, I've made a lot of changes to the original chapter and I thought you may appreciate the fact that i was trying to give Naruto more dialogue with Gaara and kankuro as well as more details about the night they've spent with Naruto's parents. Know that I plan on doing the same ting with the next chapter by changing the writing style as well as changing some events to match with it properly and lengthen the story.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories, please leave me either a PM or a Review since I love getting em and I hope to hear from you all again really soon.

This is Dragon1990 signing out:-)


	6. First Day In Konoha

[Naruto And Temari's House]

The sunlight shown through the window and slowly crept up and over Temari's sleeping face. She felt the rays and turned over in her bed before opening her sleepy eyes. At first, she was confused as to where she was but then she remembered that she moved in with Naruto the previous night. She sat back up and looked around the room she was to stay for now. It still felt strange for her being in this room and thinking that she was gonna have to stay here for the rest of her life. She also went over the events of the night before, meeting her future in laws and having dinner with her brothers, Naruto and his family. She had a great night with her siblings and the Namikazes. Naruto and his parents did great making her feel better.

She looked over to her vanity and saw her sand headband sitting there. She remembered that her moving to Konoha to marry Naruto meant that she was gonna have to give up her status as a Suna Kunoichi. Although she didn't show it, it really bothered her that she wasn't going to be a Suna Ninja anymore. She worked really hard when she was young to earn that headband and receiving it was one of the proudest days of her life. She was proud to represent her village by wearing the Hitai Ate with an Hourglass symbol on it. And now, she was gonna have to give all that up. Today was the last day Temari was gonna be aloud to wear it because after she swears her loyalty to Konoha, she'll have to trade it in for the leaf headband.

Finally, she sighed and got up and out of bed, deciding that it was time to start the day. She put on a bathrobe over her nightgown and walked out her bedroom door. Temari walked up and knocked on Naruto's bedroom door.

"Naruto, I'm taking a shower so stay the hell out." she warned. She heard a mumbling noise on the other side and knocked again. "Naruto, I said-" she began before his door opened.

Naruto was dressed in a tee shirt, pajama pants and a nightcap. "Temari, I heard you the first time so please stop yelling at me." he replied rubbing his eyes. He then noticed her puzzled look. "What?" he asked.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, referring to his nightcap which looked like a bug eyed monster eating his head.

Naruto responded by gripping the hat with both hands. "What's wrong with it?" he asked her. "This was a Birthday Present from Mom." he told her.

Temari realized she was being a little rude then. "I'm sorry, it's just that I've never seen you wear anything like that before and I just wasn't expecting it." she explained.

Naruto shot a quick glance at her hair before responding. "Well to be fair, I've never seen you with your hair down before now so I guess we're even." he replied. "You should try it more often, it's nice." he told her, getting her to blush a little bit from his compliment. Naruto then walked past her to the stairway. "I'm gonna make an omelette for breakfast. Would you like me to make you one too?" he offered.

Temari smiled happily back before placing a hand on her hip. "Actually, yes I would. That sounds delicious." she replied.

"Some bacon?" he added.

"A couple of strips would be nice yeah." she answered before turning to the restroom to take her shower. As Naruto headed downstairs, he heard her call back down to him one last time. "If you could also get some coffee brewing this morning, I'd really appreciate it." she called down.

"Sure." he called back from the bottom of the steps.

Temari took a good long and relaxing shower that morning. Like she did at all the inns she was staying at on the way to Konoha, she just relaxed as the hot water washed over her body. She was actually happy that one thing she could enjoy about this village was the privilege of running water. That wasn't something they had back and Suna and she was gonna take advantage of this new luxury. Once she was finished, she stepped out and took about fifteen minutes to dry and brush her hair before putting it up in her favorite pigtails. She then exited the bathroom and returned to her bedroom and got dressed into her new Kunoichi uniform and finishing her look with her Hitai Ate hanging from her neck as always before heading downstairs.

In the kitchen, Naruto had just finished preparing the omelettes and placed them on the table with some pieces of bacon and two small bowls of rice. He saw his bride enter the room and she was glad to see that the coffee was ready. Temari grabbed a cup from the cabinet and poured herself some coffee before adding the cream and sugar to her warm and delicious breakfast beverage. She took her seat at one end of the table while Naruto at the other, thanked him for the meal and then started eating. Temari was pleasantly surprised to find that the eggs were very well prepared. Light and fluffy with not too much or too little cheese. She also liked the diced peppers which added a nice yet not overbearing spice to the flavor.

Both blondes ate breakfast in silence. It got awkward from time to time with nobody saying anything so every now and then, one of them would try making a remark and get a conversation going but it would stop once they both ran out of anything to say. Once the both of them had eaten their fill, Naruto offered to take her dishes where he rinsed them off and loaded them into the dishwasher. Temari did compliment Naruto for his cooking though and he was glad she enjoyed the food. She found it very satisfying. She wasn't stuffed or felt like she overate or anything, but Naruto made just enough for her feel like she wouldn't get hungry again for at least a little while longer. She then waited until Naruto cleaned up and got changed before heading out.

Naruto would let Temari exit the house first and then close the door behind them, locking it. He followed her down the walkway and out the gate.

"So, where would you like to go first?" he asked her.

"I was hoping to see our my new training ground." she answered. "If you and I are gonna be on a team together, then I would like to know where we'll be meeting each morning for training." she told him.

"Sure, it's not far off." he replied.

Before Naruto began leading the way however, someone familiar called out to them from behind. "Hey Naruto, long time no see." he said which got both blondes to turn in his direction.

Naruto smiled when he saw an old friend from his years in the academy. A man with tan skin, onyx colored eyes, brown hair tied up and a scar running across his nose. "Iruka-Sensei, hey!" he called back happily.

"I hope that my favorite academy student has been doing okay since the last time we talked." he told him. "I understand that you've been busy." he remarked.

Naruto grinned and chuckled. "You could say that again Sensei." he replied while rubbing that back of his neck. "Oh hey, let me introduce you to someone." he said, turning to the Suna girl. "Sensei, this is Temari. She's my...Fiancee." he told him, still thinking it was a little weird to say that. "Temari, this is my Sensei from back at the Konoha Shinobi Academy. Iruka Umino." he told her.

Temari bowed her head gracefully and smiled before standing again. "It is very nice to meet you Iruka-San." she greeted.

"And it's very nice to meet you too Temari-San." he bowed back. "But please, there's no need for formalities. Just call me Iruka." he told her. "Now as I understand, you're moving here to Konoha in preparation for your wedding to Naruto right?" he asked.

"Yes, Naruto and I have already moved into our new house together and we're waiting to hear from our Village Councils on what the date for our wedding will be and what the terms to be met are." she told him.

"Well, congratulations to the both of you." he replied smiling. "I know that this is an arrangement made between our villages and all, but I do hope you both will be happy together in the end. You both have my prayers." he told them.

"Thank you very much Iruka." replied Temari with another bow.

"Thanks Sensei." said Naruto to his teacher and friend.

"Anyway, I gotta get down to the academy and start class. I'll see you both later okay?" he told them, turning and waving.

"Okay, bye Sensei." replied Naruto waving back.

Temari turned to the younger blonde. "He seemed really nice." she remarked.

"I'm glad you like him." he told her.

"Now, how about we check out our new training ground?" she asked.

"Follow me." he replied and they were off.

[Hokage Tower]

The doors to the council chambers opened up and in came the Hokage, his wife, the Konoha council, the Acting Kazekage and the Suna council. They all sat at a circular table so everyone could face everyone evenly. Minato sat with Kushina and Koharu to his left and Homura and Danzo to his right. Baki sat across from the Hokage since he was acting as Suna's leader until the new one would be selected. To his left and right were Ebizo and Chiyo. Once they were sitting comfortably in their seats, hot tea was presented to everyone with the staff then leaving the room once everyone at the table had a cup and were satisfied with the service. The doors then remained closed with both Anbu and Desert guards stationed outside to prevent eavesdropping.

"Welcome everyone." Minato began. "I hope you all slept well and that the accommodations are to your liking." he told them.

"Oh yes, the hotel is very lovely and quite comforting." replied Chiyo with a soft elderly smile.

"It's very suitable for those among us to rest after such a long journey." said Ebizo.

"And we as always are grateful to you for your generous hospitality Hokage-Sama." Baki said with a respectful nod.

"I am glad to hear it." replied the Hokage. "Now that we're all here, we can begin." he said, placing his hands on the table while lacing his fingers. "Today, we discuss the date for which the late Yondaime Kazekage's Duaghter, the lady Temari, marries my Son Naruto Namikaze and the terms of the arrangement." he told them.

"Suna rejoiced when we received news that you agreed to the proposal Hokage-Sama." said Ebizo. "We were all glad to see that you believed that our offer was genuine and that you were willing to give Suna a second chance." he told him.

"While we both have interests in the marriage arrangement, I'm sure that we can come to a reasonable middle ground that both parties can be satisfied with." said Chiyo.

"I agree completely." replied the Hokage.

"Then let's first discuss the date for the wedding." Baki began. "I imagine that we'll need to give both Naruto and Temari time to prepare for their big day and we'll need some time to make arrangements for the guests from Suna who wish to attend the wedding ceremony and reception." he listed.

"Yes, I agree. That would be a good place to start." replied Kushina.

The representatives of both Konoha and Suna would negotiate the terms of the up coming wedding for many hours throughout the day with both sides discussing what they were expecting of the young soon to be wed Naruto and Temari.

[Team 7 Training Field]

Naruto lead Temari to the area where his team trains. She took a moment to look over the field and see what she was gonna be working with from here on out. It's not like the sandy canyon where she and her brothers trained in the past. Obviously, there was a lot more green such as soft and smooth grass and lots of trees surrounding them. There was a dirt clearing in the center and she had to guess that this was where she was going to be working most of the time because not only did she see evidence of people who have been training here recently, but the field gave off the feeling that this was a popular training ground for several teams over the generations, not just the current team 7. And she was soon gonna be joining the same team.

There were also three wooden posts set off to the side and she had to guess that they were most likely used for target practice. The marking on the wood was evidence that kunai and shuriken were often thrown at it then pulled back out. There was also a river flowing out of the surrounding woods, weaving it's way through the clearing and around the training field before reentering the woods again. The water was deep enough so students could use it as a challenge for the water walking technique. All in all, she thought that this was gonna be a very decent field to train in. Plenty spacious yet secluded so the team could practice their strategies without having to worry about someone else learning how their team coordinates.

"Well, what do ya think?" Naruto asked with a grin.

Temari crossed her arms before issuing a single nod. "It looks like a decent enough place." she answered. "I've spent most of my time training in the desert so it'll take some getting used to, but I think I can work with it. I'll just need to know more about my soon to be team." she told him.

Naruto nodded and put his hands behind his head. "Well, Sasuke is a real heavy hitter on the Team." he began. "He's learned a whole lot of jutsus from his Older Brother Itachi but the guy doesn't really show any of us so truth be told, I don't fully know what he's really capable of." he admitted.

"I see." she replied.

"Just remember that Sasuke is really strong and while he may act like he doesn't like others, he can be trusted." he told her. "He was a great help to me when our Team went to the Land of Waves and fought against Zabuza. If you've got Sasuke watching your back, you've got nothing to worry about." he told her with a grin.

"I hope so." she replied. "I've worked with my Brothers longer than anyone else. They were the best team I've ever worked with and I wanna be sure that I can work with this one just as well." she told him.

"I promise, we'll make it work Temari." he replied. "You'll have me, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi-Sensei. The five of us we'll be the best team in Konoha in no time." he boasted.

Temari had to smirk at that. She had to admit, Naruto's confidence was refreshing. "And what about Sakura and Kakashi?" she asked. "Any insight on them and what to expect?" she also asked.

"Sakura's really smart." he began explaining. "She doesn't do as much front line fighting like Sasuke, Sensei and I, but she is one of the smartest Kunoichi to graduate the Academy. She also has way better chakra control than either of us. Whether it was the tree climbing technique or the water walking technique, Sensei would show the three of us at the same time and she'd figure out how to do it first almost on her first attempt." he told her before laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"It's just, it always got under Sasuke's skin when she'd pull it off before him." he replied. "He can be very egotistical and believes that he should be the one to succeed first since he's an Uchiha. So when Sakura would come in and get it almost instantly, the look on his face was priceless." he chuckled.

"I would have thought it would get under your skin too." she replied with a smirk while putting and hand on her hip. "As I understand it, you're vary competitive in nature too." she remarked.

"Yeah, maybe a little." he admitted with a shrug. "But it was worth it seeing Sensei tease Sasuke that Sakura was able to learn it first and not him." he chuckled again.

Temari nodded at that before she continued. "And what about Kakashi Hatake?" she asked. "What can you tell me about my new Sensei?" she added.

"I doubt there's much I can really tell you that you may not already know." he replied with a shrug. "He was trained by my Dad when he was younger and was one of the best Ninja in our village. A living legend in fact. He became a Chunin when he was only six and the Anbu Black Ops Chief when he was only ten. He also knows more jutsus than I've even seen him preform. His Sharingan allows him to copy the justus of any opponents he's fighting." he told her.

"Have you actually seen him use it before?" she asked curiously.

"Only once." he replied with a smile. "During our mission to the Land of Waves, I saw him copy Zabuza's Water Clone Jutsu, the Water Dragon Jutsu and his Water Vortex Jutsu all in one battle. It was incredible." he said almost amazing himself.

Temari smiled. "That sounds amazing." she replied.

"Yeah, during combat or a mission, you'll be glad to have him as an ally and scared out of your wits if he's your enemy." he continued before his smile dropped. "I just wish he was more reliable other times." he said in mild annoyance.

Temari's brow raised at that remark. "What do you mean?" she asked him.

"I hope enjoy waiting around for hours at a time in the morning because you're gonna be doing a lot of it." he answered. "Sensei is NEVER on time to anything. He'll tell us to be at the field at a round seven and then arrive an hour or even two hours late with the lamest excuse. For a great Jonin, he's a terrible liar." he told her.

Temari already could tell that this was gonna be annoying. Baki was someone who always insisted on being on time for everything so when you've had that drilled into you to the point where it becomes second nature, you don't like it at all when someone is late all the time. She now had mixed feelings about being on the same team with Kakashi Hatake.

"So, was there anything else you wanted to do?" Naruto asked her.

"Well, we still need to do a little grocery shopping and I was hoping to see more of the Market District." she replied.

"Sure, follow me." he told her and they were off again.

[Later]

Naruto would spend several hours showing Temari around the village's market district. It was a pretty big place but she was quickly learning where everything was. Truth be told, it wasn't too different from the markets back home in Suna. Various stalls with vendors peddling their wares as well as stores, shops and restaurants which had the pleasant smell of food cooking whenever she passed by. She was certainly interested in trying out of these eateries in the future when she got the chance because some of the food smelled really good. They also stopped in several places like a pharmacy where she could buy her feminine products and a weapons store to stock up on equipment. Naruto offered to help carry her things which she appreciated.

One of the things she couldn't help noticing were the glares from other villagers. Temari kinda anticipated this when she learned that she was gonna be returning to Konoha. She wasn't really all that surprised either honestly. She was wearing the Suna headband and her village did attack their's several months ago so of course they were gonna act hostile towards her. This was one of the things she was hoping would change once she'd trade in the sand headband for the leaf. Hopefully, once she had joined their ranks, they wouldn't be so hostile to her anymore. One thing she did think was strange was it didn't seem like she was the only one who on the receiving end of the negative attention. She could have sworn that some of them were glaring at Naruto.

Now, Temari had grown up as the daughter of a very powerful and very influential leader of their village. Everywhere she'd go, people watched her too but they always acted real respectful to her. Truth told, it was kinda forced respect but that's mainly do to their natural fear of her father. She wouldn't exercise some form of abusive power to get whatever she wanted out of them, the people acted the way they did on their own. And while she did appreciate it, she didn't always like it. Her position as the Kage's daughter made her a somewhat intimidating figure even if she never meant to be one. She also felt like her status made her somewhat unapproachable. This was one of the reasons she didn't have a whole lot of friends in her youth.

But what she couldn't get though was why were the villagers being so hostile to Naruto? Within reason, they weren't lashing out or even saying anything to him at all, but she could see the hate and malice in their eyes from when they watched him just go about. This didn't make any sense to her at all. Why would they feel this way to Naruto? Now, she read in his file he got into trouble often and after seeing him in the chunin exams months ago, she thought he was extremely energetic and needed to learn a bit more self control, but that didn't really make him an unlikable person right? Besides, Naruto's dad was the village's Fourth Hokage. They should at the very least show him great respect, if not admiration. But why all this hate? What did he do?

The both of them entered a store together and Tameri turned Naruto to her so she could hand him a list.

"Here." she said, handing him a piece of paper. "I want you to get everything in this list. This is a list of ingredients we'll need for the next week of meals I have planned." she told him.

"Sure." he replied and he was off.

Naruto walked up and down various isles looking for the items on Temari's list. Most of it was a variety of fruits and vegetables with some herbs too. He also grabbed a couple of bags of rice that she asked him to get as well. Naruto sighed when he finished reading over it, realizing that ramen wasn't on the list of things she wanted him to get. He wasn't upset about it however, he just figured that this was something he was gonna have to get himself. So that's what he did. He grabbed a head of cabbage, lettuce, some onions, some garlic, a half dozen tomatoes, two bags of rice, some leeks, a dozen apples, some bananas, some oranges, some peaches, some plums and a few avocados. He also grabbed a couple of packs of instant ramen cups.

Temari focused on her list while Naruto on his. She had Naruto grab the fruit, vegetables and herbs while she got meat, bread, cheese and spices. She grabbed some chicken and duck along with some salmon and tuna. She also took advantage of a sale on pork and bacon too. She also grabbed several kinds of cheese and a few loaves of bread for sandwiches. Once she did that, she grabbed over a dozen of different kinds of spices such as chili powder and paprika right down to your standard salt and pepper. She also figured that it wouldn't hurt to grab a couple of bottles of soy sauce either along with a couple of other sauces and oils. There was also a very nice cook book she grabbed that had a list of recipes from the Land of Fire which she wanted to try.

Once she had gotten everything she had on her list, she figured she'd wait for Naruto to finish shopping and then she'd get the rest of the things on the list which were the cold things like milk, juice and eggs. She walked over to the rack where the magazines were and grabbed the "Kunoichi Monthly" issue with the image of a very pretty young woman with tan skin, silver hair and green eyes on the cover. She was from Kumo and was dressed in a very fashionable bikini while striking a sexy pose.

'Looks like Mabui is the Cover Girl again this month. Shocker' she thought to herself as she flipped through the pages.

That was when she heard some arguing up at the counter. She turned to see Naruto having a very heated dispute with the guy behind the cash register. The man was of a large build and a deep tan skin. He had dark brown hair with streaks of grey on the sides, a mustache and dark brown eyes. Temari noticed how he stood there looking down at Naruto with an angry scowl on his face.

"I didn't do anything wrong and I'm not hurting anybody. I'm here to do a little shopping so what's the problem?" Naruto asked him.

"The longer you're in my store, the longer other customers won't come here." he growled back. "And I reserve the right to refuse my services to anybody I want so get out of here you little freak." he barked.

Temari was surprised that the guy would talk to Naruto like that. Did he have any clue who he was?

Naruto's brows forwarded at that. "You know, my Dad is the Hokage." Naruto told him. "I'm not asking for special treatment here, but you could try being a little nicer out of respect for my Father who is your Village Leader." he said to him.

Temari now thought that this guy would at least take that into account but apparently, he didn't seem to actually give a damn.

"Minato Namikaze is a great man and a great leader." he replied. "He's a living legend and a hero to our village, but that don't mean that I think highly of you or have to. I don't care at all what so ever who you are or who your Father is. To me, you'll always be a nobody. A loser." he told him.

Now she could no longer stand there and let him keep talking to him like that. "Hey, that's completely uncalled for." she called out walking up behind Naruto. "The both of us are just shopping and you should no better then to insult paying customers. And Naruto is the Son of the Hokage so why would you talk to him like that?" she asked.

"You stay out of this." he snapped at her. "You're no more welcome in my store than this little bastard you Sand Village Harlot." he said to her.

Temari didn't take that well at all. "Excuse me?! A Harlot?!" she shrieked before reaching behind and gripping her battle fan. "You had better apologize if you know what's good for you!" she warned. Nobody had ever insulted her like that before in her life and she wasn't gonna just take it like that. In her mind, this didn't matter at all who you're family was, you shouldn't act like that to anybody.

"And what are gonna do if I don't? Are you gonna attack me like your kin did months ago?" he asked with an angry scowl. Temari huffed in frustration and let go of her fan before bringing her hands back down to her sides. She still clenched her fists. The guy then crossed his arms over his large chest. "When Suna and Oto knocked down one of our walls, I lost some friends. I don't care if the politicians are trying to play nice between our villages, you will never be welcome in my store. Now both of you get the hell out!" he yelled, pointing at the door.

At this point, Temari didn't see any reason to keep arguing with him. What was she supposed to do? If she did kick his ass and she certainly believed that he deserved it, she would only be proving his point and further tarnishing her village's honor and reputation. She did mentally prepare herself for this kind of resentment for what her village did months ago, but it still got on her nerves that a lowly commoner could talk to her like that and now get away with it. She was about to tell Naruto to follow her and forget about it but he started up again.

"Okay Pal." he replied before reaching into his coat. "I really don't like having to play this card, but you've forced my hand." he told him, pulling out what looked like a letter.

Naruto offered it but the guy only continued to glare down at him in anger. "I'm not interested in anything else you have to say or what's on that piece of paper.' he told him.

"You should be." he replied, still holding it up. "Because your livelihood depends on it." he told him.

"Is that a threat?" he asked, with his hands now on the counter.

"Read this letter and find out." he replied, letting the guy snatch it from his hand.

Temari was curious to see where this was gonna go so she stopped to watch this play out. She watched as he first remained calm and cool as he started reading it, but then that changed when he went from holding it with just one hand to both. As his eyes scanned the paper, they grew wider and wider in disbelief from what was written on it and sweat began rolling down his face as he was nearing the end. He finally looked up at Naruto when he saw the official seal of the Hokage stamped on the bottom of the letter.

"Y-Y-You can't be serious!" he shouted, while holding the letter in his hand and pointing at it.

"I am serious." he replied with his arms crossed. "You and plenty of other people in the village may enjoy treating me like I'm dirt, but I sure as hell don't and guess what, neither do my Mom and Dad. You crossed a line you shouldn't have and now you're the one who's gonna have to pay the price." he told him.

"But this doesn't just affect me. If I go out of business, my Family and I will wined up on the streets. Our lives will be ruined!" he protested.

"You really should have thought about that before insulting someone you don't know, let alone a paying customer." he replied. The guy looked like he wanted to protest again, but he couldn't. Temari just stood there, wondering what was on the piece of paper. "Here's what's gonna happen Pal." Naruto started again. "You're gonna accept our business and you're not gonna give us any more trouble understood?" he asked to which the guy grudgingly nodded. "Good. Also, we both get everything we're buying today half off." he added.

"HALF OFF?!" he shouted back, knowing that he'd be losing more money than what he'd be making.

"Hey! I would have been more than happy to pay full price, but you were being rude to Temari." Naruto snapped. "Now personally, I don't really care how you feel about me, but you've got no right at all to insult Temari because she didn't do anything wrong by just shopping here. Which brings me to my second point." he listed. "Once we're finished, you're gonna offer Temari an apology for being rude and calling her such an offensive name. Do that, and we'll simply be on our way and that will be the end of it. But do it not and I'll head straight up to the Hokage Tower for a talk with my Dad. All I have to say is one word and he'll close down you store and give away everything you have to the people for free. So what's it gonna be?" he asked, crossing his arms again.

After a couple of minutes of running all their items through the scanner and getting a forced apology from the store owner, Naruto and Temari left the store with the all the groceries they bought that day. The Suna ninja looked over to see that Naruto had become pretty quiet after that moment. "Naruto, what was that all about?" she asked him.

"Nothing. It was just ignorance and that guy was an asshole." he replied.

She had thought about asking but figured that it would be best if she bit her tongue on the issue. "So, we should probably run everything back to the house and put them away." she told him.

Naruto them smiled and turned back to her. "Oh don't trouble yourself, I got it all." he replied. She was about to ask when she saw him summon several Kage Bunshin who took all the bags. "Okay, you guys head back to the house and just leave everything that isn't cold on the table so Temari and I can go through it later and put them away. Cold stuff obviously goes in either the freezer or the fridge." he told them. The three clones nodded and were off. Temari had to admit, that jutsu looked like it could be very useful in the future. She seriously considered asking Naruto if he'd teach it to her later on once she was sworn into Team 7.

After the clones took off, Naruto and Temari were approached by two other Suna girls. He remembered seeing them yesterday when Temari first arrived to the village, he just didn't say anything to them or learn what their names were. One was a girl with chin length brown hair and onyx colored eyes. She had fair skin light pink blushes on her cheeks and was wearing a light blue sleeveless kunoichi's blouse with a dark blue battle skirt. The other girl had long black hair that ran freely down her back with bangs framing her face and brown eyes. She wore a red kunoichi's tube dress with a white sash tied around her waist.

"Hi Temari-San." one of them greeted cheerfully. "Yukata and I hope you're doing well today." she chimed.

"As well as can be expected." she replied before turning to her betrothal. "Naruto, this is Matsuri and Yukata. They came here under orders to help me get ready for the whole welcoming ceremony." she told him. "Ladies, this is Naruto Namikaze. My fiancee." she told them.

"It's very nice to meet you Naruto-San." said Yukata with a bow.

"Yes, it's an honor to meet the Fourth Hokage's Son and Hair." said Matsuri.

"Uh, thanks Girls." he replied smiling and rubbing the back of his neck. "But there's no need to be so formal now. Just call me Naruto, okay?" he asked.

Both of them raised once more and nodded with a smile. They both thought it was nice to let their hair down and act more casually.

"Matsuri, Yukata, have either of you seen my Brothers?" Temari asked them. "Naruto and I were hoping to meet them earlier today but they never showed up when we left this morning." she told them.

"Yeah, Kankuro-San and Gaara-San both thought they'd take a look around and meet you later." replied Matsuri.

"We've been hanging around with them all day today since this morning and seeing the Village." said Yukata. "The shops and stores here are so nice and so is the weather." she told them.

"Seriously, I never noticed how hot Suna was until I came here to Konoha." said Matsuri.

"Any idea where Kankuro and Gaara are now?" Naruto asked them.

"Actually yes." replied Matsuri. "In fact, they sent us to find you guys because they were hoping you'd join us for some more sight seeing and later something to eat." she told them.

"Please, lead the way." said Temari and the four of them were off.

It didn't take long at all before Matsuri and Yukata lead Naruto and Temari to where Kankuro and Gaara were. They found the both of them checking out an antique store. (Kankuro had a secret interest in art and Gaara was growing interested as well) When the both of them saw the two blondes, they walked up to greet them.

"Hey Sis, hey Squirt, how's it goin?" he asked while Gaara came up and shook hands with Naruto to greet his friend.

Temari crossed her arms when she confronted her younger brother. "Why didn't you meet up with us this morning?" she asked him. "Naruto and I were waiting for you but you never showed up. Half the day is over now and we've only just caught up with you." she told him.

"Yeah, Gaara and I thought we'd leave you two love birds alone and have time to yourselves." he joked, only for her to glare at him with that look that only a big sister can give you. "Please don't look at me like that Temari." he said to her. There were times he really wished she lighten up.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Gaara were having a nice talk. "I hope you and Kankuro had a nice night." Naruto said to his friend.

"The rooms were clean and smelled nice while the beds were comfortable. However, I can't sleep without risk of releasing the Shukaku." he told him which made a sweat drop on the back of his head.

Now that the six of them were together, Naruto figured he'd be a good host and offer them all a grand tour of the village. While they spent plenty of time walking around the market district seeing a lot of various stores and the wears they had to offer, Naruto also gave them a tour of some great parks where you could just sit and relax while enjoying the lovely scenery. There was also a chance to walk by the homes of some of the most powerful and influential shinobi clans in Konoha. They've seen the Inuzukas, the Aburames, the Yamanakas, Naras and Akimichis, the Hyuugas and Uchihas as well as many others. Temari remembered reading about all these clans and their histories, but she thought it was still very impressive seeing them.

Finally, after a couple of hours of sight seeing and just hanging out, Naruto asked if they were feeling at all hungry. Kankuro said he could have a bite and Gaara mentioned that he was feeling somewhat hungry. Both Yukata and Matsuri did ask if he knew any good places to eat and he smiled before offering to show them a great place to have lunch. Temari figured now was a good time to eat because she was feeling a little hungry. Naruto would bring all of them to a shack with curtain covering overhead. The six of them ducked underneath and were greeted by a friendly sounding voice.

"Hi there, welcome to the Ichiraku Ramen." said a very friendly young woman with brown hair from behind the counter. She smiled even wider when she saw Naruto with the group. "Oh, hey Naruto." she said happily. "Dad, Naruto's here and he brought some friends over." she called back to her father.

An older gentleman came out to see Naruto and five others taking their seats at the counter. "Very nice to meet you all. My name is Teuchi Ichiraku and you've met my Daughter Ayame. Naruto it's good to see you again as always. Who're your friends?" he asked.

"Well, this is Temari and her Brothers Kankuro and Gaara and these are Yukata and Matsuri." he said introducing them each one by one.

"Wait, isn't this the Suna Delegation who arrived in the village yesterday?" Ayame asked.

"That's us." replied Kankuro.

"Then that means that-" Teuchi began.

"That I'm Naruto's Bride." said Temari.

"So you're the Kazekage's Daughter." said Ayame with excitement. "You're even prettier than I thought you'd be." she told her.

"Oh, well thank you." replied Temari with a small smile.

"The Hokage announced that Naruto was gonna be married in a new arrangement between Suna and Konoha." said Teuchi. "It's very nice to meet you all and welcome to Konoha Temari." he said to her.

"Thank you Sir." she replied with a nod and a smile.

"So, can I take your orders?" he asked.

"I'll have a Pork Miso Ramen Old Man." said Naruto.

"The Roast Chicken sounds pretty good." said Kankuro.

"Do you have a Vegetarian Ramen?" Yukata asked. (She's a vegetarian)

"And I'd like to try the Seafood Special." Matsuri ordered.

"I guess I'll have the Miso Raman as well." said Temari.

"Miso." said Gaara in a calm and stoic manner.

"Coming right up." replied the chef and he got to work on their orders right away with the help of his daughter.

While Teuchi and Ayame went to work, Naruto turned to everybody who sat to his left. Temari sat next to him with Kankuro right after her. Yukata and Matsuri both sat in between him and Gaara and Matsuri blushed while sitting next to the young red head. "You guys are gonna love Ichiraku Ramen." he told them. "It really is the best ramen around." he added.

Teuchi laughed a bot as he was cooking the noodles. "I really appreciate the free advertisement Son." he called back to him.

"I take it Naruto comes here often?" asked Temari.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked back with another chuckle. "He and his Mother are our best customers. Both of them eat so much ramen that Ayame and I joke all the time that they're the only ones keeping us in business." he told her.

After a couple more minutes of waiting, the father and daughter pair presented everyone's bowls of noodles. Each of them took a pair of chopsticks and with one big "Itadakimssu" from everyone, they dug in. Naruto eagerly consumed the delicious greasy noodles as well as drank down some of the rich soup. He then turned to the company he was with again to see if they were enjoying their meal. "So, what do you guys think?" he asked eagerly.

"I'll give you credit Naruto, you do indeed have excellent taste in ramen." replied Temari with a satisfied grin.

"I'm probably gonna want another bowl." Kankuro said before taking another sip of the soup.

"This is delicious." Yukata remarked after swallowing her mouthful of noodles.

Matsuri turned to Gaara. "What do you think Gaara? Is it good?" she asked.

Everyone waited to see what he thought and shortly after a moments pause, he finally spoke. "This is really good." he confirmed. "In fact, I wanna look for other ramen stands back home and compare them." he added.

Naruto was really happy to see them all eat and enjoy his favorite ramen. And he was glad to enjoy this meal with such good company. Naruto thought Temari was nice. A bit bossy like Kankuro warned, but nice none the less. Kankuro was a little rough around the edges but pretty easy going and easy to get along with once he opened up to you. Gaara had changed a great deal since the last time he saw him. He still was as stoic as ever and very quiet but he wasn't as intense or hostile like he used to be. Naruto even noticed that he's been really working hard on trying to open up to others which made him happy. He could tell he was gonna be a good friend in the future. Both Yukata and Matsuri were nice too but Yukata had a habit of talking on and on.

Matsuri spent most of the time just blushing and shying a bit whenever Gaara would speak. She did her best to hide it, but the only one among their company who didn't seem to notice the obvious crush she had was Gaara. After they were done, Ayame collected their empty bowls.

"Hey Temari, can I talk to you out back real quick?" the brunette asked her.

"Sure." said Temari, not really knowing what to expect. She followed her out to the back of the shack where Ayame then turned to face her. "So, what's up?" she asked her.

"Look, I know that this is an arranged mariage and all, but I have high hopes for you and Naruto." she began. "I'm glad to see that you're giving him a chance and please be good to him for me. He's been through a lot over the years and everyone who knows him, his friends and family, just want to see him happy." she told her.

Temari wasn't quite sure what she meant. "What do you mean been through a lot?" she asked her.

"You've seen the way some villagers act and behave around him?" she asked to which she nodded. "He's had to deal with that for a very long time and it pains us to see the villagers treat him so cruelly. Please promise that you'll be good to him." she requested.

Temari nodded her head at the request. "I'll be good to him sure." she answered. She made it a mental note to later try asking Naruto or one of his parents about this. Why did the villagers act like they did around Naruto? And why did she have such a strange sense a familiarity to the situation?

Once she and Ayame finished their little chat, Temari would join back up with Naruto, her brothers and her fellow Suna kunoichi. They would hang out and walk around freely just talking for a few more hours before it was time for them to part ways again. Kankuro and Gaara would go back with Yukata and Matsuri to their respectful hotel while Naruto and Temari would head back to the new house together. It still felt kind of strange for the both of them to be sharing a house together and so soon. They both would put away groceries that were left by his clones from earlier today and also cleaned up a little around the house. They would also have a simply easy to make dinner before Naruto did the dishes while Temari went back upstairs to her room.

[Hokage Tower]

In the council chambers, both the Hokage, his wife and the Konoha council had just finished negotiations with the acting Kazekage and the Suna delegation. The meeting went well enough with both sides being able to reach a middle ground in the discussion regarding Naruto and Temari's upcoming wedding. Once all the terms were agreed upon, Minato stood to his feet as Baki did and the both of them shook hands with everyone else watching.

"I am pleased that we have finally come to an agreement of the terms of the wedding Hokage-Sama." said Baki.

"As am I Baki-San." he replied.

"Tomorrow, Temari will swear her loyalty to you as her new Hokage as is the tradition." he stated.

"And with her marriage to my Son a couple of months from now, a new Peace Treaty between our two great villages will be signed." said the Hokage in absolute.

[Author's Notes] So as you guys can see, I've done a lot of changes from the original chapter. Obviously, I tried to be a little more detailed and I also wanted to include certain conversations that I didn't use last time. For one, I felt it was important to include a meeting with Iruka because he's one of Naruto's friends and a surrogate big brother. I also felt that including more of Yukata and Matsuri would be fun and I thought the talk Ayame had with Temari in private was a good idea as well. I'm glad I was able to rewrite and lengthen the chapter this way and I'm certainly pleased with how it came out and I really hope you all like it as well.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories, please leave me either a Review or a PM as I love getting them and hearing what you guys think and have to say. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please lay em on me and if I like it, I'll work on adding it.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	7. Temari Of The Leaf

[Minato And Kushina's House]

[Warning! Lemon Starts Now!]

The bedroom door crashed open when Minato and Kushina entered while furiously making out, their tongues waging a heated battle within one another's mouths. As the blonde Hokage walked his wife backwards towards the wall of their bedroom, their hands ran up and down one another's bodies and started ripping each other's cloths off. Kushina took off her husband's white, flame clad coat and let it fall to the floor of their room while Minato was undoing the buttons on the back of her dress. Her green dress fell off and onto the floor leaving her only in her white short sleeved blouse and her black panties. She moaned and blushed when she felt him kiss her neck while one of his hands snaked down in between her legs to please her.

Minato would kiss and lick her soft and fare skin while he rubbed her moistening pussy through her panties. Her breathing was becoming more erotic and her mewling was music to his ears as he made her feel good. Kushina then brought one of her hands down to rub him in between his legs and smiled when she felt the large bulge in his pants and got him to groan from her soft but firm grip on his manhood. Kushina reveled in having this kind of power over her husband and it made her happy to know that she was the only woman in the world he desired. She was really looking forward to this night with Minato and wanted him to ravish her. She wanted to love and be loved by her husband like he'd done many times before.

She then helped him out of his blue shirt, revealing his well toned and very muscular torso to her. Just the sight of his biceps, pecks and abs made her even wetter and hornier so she reached up between her breasts to undo her bra and let her large tits out for him to see. Minato marveled at her beautiful mounts of flesh before closing the gap between them and locking lips with his wife once again. Kushina reached down to pull her husband's pants off then smiled when she felt his cock pressing against her. She then took her panties off and let them fall to her feet before spreading her legs to grant Minato access to her wet and awaiting pussy. He wasted no time at all lining himself up with her entrance before pushing in.

Kushina moaned and blushed bright red when she felt him sheath himself into her body completely.

"Minato." she moaned softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He responded by reaching down to grab her by her ass and then lift her off the ground while holding her up against the wall. Kushina then wrapped her legs around his waist to hold him in place as he started thrusting his cock up into her womanhood. Minato's breathing turned to grunting as he felt her wet and warm caverns tightening around his dick. Kushina was moaning loudly now as his sharp thrusts sent his cock up into her with great power with the head of his penis hitting her cervix which only served to send sock waves of pleasure coursing through her body.

"Faster Minato!" she cried out. "Harder!" she urged.

Minato responded by picking up speed then while he kept fucking her, he brought her face to face with him and they smiled at one another. They then locked lips again and started another heated battle with their tongues. Shiny sky blue eyes gazed lovingly into equally beautiful violet ones while they fought to gain dominance of their lover's mouth. Kushina then broke the kiss and hugged Minato tightly to her and started moaning and whimpering in a higher pitch as she felt her first orgasm fast approaching. She also felt her husband twitching inside her so she knew he was about to finish as well. Minato picked up the pace and soon, the sound of their soaking crotches were echoing throughout their bedroom with their moaning.

Finally, Kushina coiled around Minato's cock and started crying loudly to the heavens as she started cumming with great force. Minato's eyes rolled back when he felt how unbelievably tight her vaginal muscles had become. A few more thrusts and with one final loud groan, he burst within her and painted her insides with his hot and sticky cum. Kushina started panting as she felt the intense heat of being filled with her husband's love fluids. The two remained joined at the hip and took a few moment to catch their breaths before Minato surprised her by first gently pulling out so as not to hurt her then lifting her up into his arms bridal style before walking her over to their bed. Kushina smiled up at him as he lay her down gently on the bed.

The both of them were fully naked now and Minato climbed up onto the bed with her. He took a moment standing on his knees as he marveled at his wife. He thought she was absolutely stunning in the moonlight that shined through their window.

"You're beautiful." he said lovingly to her.

"Oh you." she replied with a blush.

He then leaned in over top of her to lock lips with the red head beneath him as he got into position with her. Since the both of them now had the house all to themselves with Naruto moving out, they were free to make love to their hearts content. One of the things about having Naruto live with them for as long as he did was that they couldn't just have sex without the fears of him overhearing them. Kushina was very loud when Minato ravished her body and they both knew Naruto would have noticed if he were still living with them and they didn't want him to hear the motions of their love making. That's why when their son left for his first mission to the Land of Waves, they spent every night together mating like catholic rabbits.

Kushina ran her hands up and down her husband's back while they made out and she could feel his heartbeat through his just which was pressed up against her large breasts.

"Minato." she mewled as he kissed her neck. "Please don't keep me waiting." she begged.

Minato took this as the signal that she was ready to go again. He reached down to grab hold of his cock which was at full strength again before lining himself up with her awaiting entrance and then pushed into her again. She moaned loudly when she felt him penetrate her body and quickly wrapped her legs around his waist in response to his strong and sharp thrusts. Minato kept fucking her hard and fast like she wanted him to and she started whimpering when she felt the head of his cock hitting her cervix again like before. She then brought his face to hers in another hot and searing kiss and they moaned into one another's mouths as the room was filled with the sound of their wet crotches slapping against each other and the bed creaking.

She then broke the kiss again to pull him into her and held him tightly as he picked up the pace with his thrusts. She blushed and felt another orgasm fast approaching and was glad to feel her husband twitch inside her again which meant he was gonna cum again soon. She could already tell that this was gonna be another really intense climax and started moaning in a higher pitch as she dug her nails into his back. Minato hissed at the pain and pleasure of feeling her scratch his back and was grunting as he felt her grow tighter and tighter around the shaft of his cock as he kept thrusting into her hot and wet pussy. Kushina then cried out loudly as she finally came. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she felt him ride out her orgasm.

Minato groaned after feeling her squirting her nectar out all over their crotches and how tight she had gotten. Moments later, he gasped and groaned loudly as he sent another torrent of cum into her body. Kushina moaned again from feeling him fill her with several more spurts of his hot and sticky cum. They would remained joined and take a few moments to catch their breath again before the blonde got up, gently removing himself from his wife's body and onto his knees again. He started stroking himself to get back to full strength as the red head rose to sit up.

"Kushina, turn around and get on all fours for me." he told her as he was at full strength again.

Kushina complied and turned around for him, getting onto her elbows and knees while presenting her backside to him like he had hoped. Minato took another moment to marvel at the sight before him. Kushina's fair and soft skin on her upper and lower back, her lovely heart shaped bubble like ass, her wet and leaking pink pussy that was awaiting him and even her puckering asshole was a sight to behold. As Minato got behind her, Kushina turned to face him when she felt him grope her hips.

"Minato, remember." she said back to him softly but firmly.

Minato smiled as he stroked himself a few more times. "I know." he replied before lining himself up with her snatch and entering her body again.

Kushina didn't like anal sex at all. She and Minato tried it only once and she thought it was way too painful to ever try again. Hell, she had to sit on a frozen bag of peas all day the following day after she first tried it and since then, decided never again. She was glad though that Minato didn't mind. He respected her wishes and was more than happy with tending to her vagina anyway. When he entered her body a third time, both of them moaned loudly together. This new angle felt even better than the first which made her tighten very quickly. Minato wasted no time at all pounding away within her, his crotch slapping against her bare ass and she whimpered and moaned as she felt his strong thrusts rocking her back and forth on their bed.

Minato gripped her hips firmly in his hands as he charged forward, ramming his cock into her body. He even gave her a sharp spanking on her right ass cheek and she shrieked in surprise before smiling at the feeling of him being rough and domineering with her. Kushina clenched the sheets tightly in her hands to the point where she was about to rip them and her eyes were rolling back in her head with her tongue hanging from her mouth as he thrust into her body harder and faster every moment to try and bring them to another climax.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck!" she screamed as she felt wave after wave of pleasure coursing through her and as she felt her husband's crotch slapping loudly against her bares ass.

The headboard of their bed was banging loudly against the wall of their bedroom and both of their bodies were completely drenched in sweat from the intense heat of their hot and steamy sex. Minato decided to stir things up and let go of her hips before reaching forward and grabbing her by her tits and hoisting her up to him. Kushina let out a long and pleasurable cry from feeling the new way his cock was pressing against her walls when her back was against his chest. Minato groped, squeezed and massaged Kushina's large breasts in his hands and got her to whimper when he even pinched and twisted her nipples in his fingers. She responded by turning to him and locking lips with her husband once more in a long and pleasurable kiss.

The both of them remained lip locked as her next orgasm quickly approached and Kushina felt Minato twitch inside her yet again signalling his next finale. Both of them kept it up until they both moaned into one another's mouths and blushed bright red from another combined climax. Kushina's vaginal muscles tightened around her lover's cock like a vice grip and she started spilling out more of her honey which was trailing down her husband's cock and balls while Minato shot several more rounds of sperm up into Kushina's awaiting belly. The both of them then broke the kiss and fell forward onto the bed with Minato shifting so he would land on his side next to her and not right on top. They then took another few minutes to catch their breath.

After just a couple of minutes, Kushina smiled and turned to her beloved husband and lay into his body with her breasts pressing up against his muscular chest. They smiled at one another before she leaned in to kiss him again. She brought her hands up to frame his face while they made out and he held her in his arms with his hands roaming up and down her back. She then began to shift and proceeded to climb up over top of him.

"I wanna be on top this time Minato." she told him, smiling down at him while she straddled his waist.

"I'll follow your lead this time Kushina." he replied as he once again marveled at her beautiful and perfect body.

She then leaned in and locked lips in another heated kiss while holding his face in her hands and he responded by running his hands up and down her back while they made out. He then reached all the way down to grab hold of her ass cheeks and gave them a firm squeeze. Kushina moaned into her lover's mouth in response to that and then broke the kiss to sit back up straight. She smiled down to see he was at full strength again for one more round of love making. She reached down to grab hold of his cock. She smirked when she saw how he reacted from her firm but gentle stroking and reveled in the power she had over him. Once she was satisfied with jerking him off, she lifted herself up, lined him up with her pussy and sat down again.

Kushina moaned from feeling him impale her on his long and meaty cock and took a moment to just enjoy the feeling of being one with the man she loved more than life itself. She then began to gently roll her hips over his pelvis which was the signal for Minato to begin his thrusts. He knew that she wanted soft and gentle now and complied so he reached up to take hold of her hips again so she could keep better balance. Kushina placed her hands on his shoulders so she could roll her hips a little easier over him. The both of them breathed steady and soon got their hip movements going in a perfect rhythm. Kushina was lost in the feeling of how his cock slid around within her and tapped against her cervix while Minato was lost in her warmth.

He then reached up to take hold of her breasts again and earned himself the pleasurable sound of his wife's mewling from the new stimulation. She reached up in response to hold his hands in place so he could squeeze and massage her breasts and play around with her hardened nipples. It didn't take long at all before they felt another climax coming. Kushina wanted to speed things up a little more once she felt her husband twitch inside her again and Minato followed her lead and after a couple more well timed thrusts, Kushina let out a long moan from her final orgasm. Her vaginal muscles tightened around Minato's cock like a Boa Constrictor which finally sent him over the edge and came one last time into the warm and wet tunnels of his wife.

Kushina reveled in the moment she felt Minato spurt several more loads of his baby badder up into her womb and by now, their combined love fluids were leaking out of her swollen pussy and trailing down Minato's now limp cock. He allowed for her to fall forward, catching her in his arms and the two remained joined at the hip with his limp member still inside her. After just a couple of moments of them breathing heavy and getting some rest, Minato allowed Kushina to gently roll off of him and to his side so he could reach down, grab hold of the blankets and pull them up over their naked forms. Kushina lay into her loving husband with her head on his shoulder and he smiled with one hand behind his head and the other trailing her spine as they rested.

[End Lemon]

"I love you Minato." she spoke softly to her husband. "I love you so much." she told him.

"I love you too Kushina." he replied looking down into her beautiful violet colored eyes. "I love you more than life itself." he told her.

The both of them leaned in to kiss once again like they did so many times before. Tonight was absolutely wonderful for them both and they were happy knowing that now that Naruto lived in a different house and was no longer within earshot of them, they could have many more nights like this without the fears of him hearing them like before.

[Naruto And Temari's House]

It was getting late and Naruto was just chilling in his room and relaxing while reading another scroll his father wanted him to study. That was something his dad would have him do from time to time. Naruto would receive a new scroll containing jutsus that belonged to the Namikaze Clan and he would read up on them to try and learn later during his private training sessions with his dad. Each time he would finish a scroll, his father would tell him how proud he was before presenting another for him to learn from. Naruto was eagerly awaiting the scroll that would have the one jutsu he wanted to learn above all others. The Hiraishin No Jutsu or Flying Thunder God as it was called. The jutsu that earned Minato the title of Yellow Flash.

Naruto was so into the scroll that he jumped when an angry Suna girl yelled his name from another room.

"Damn it Naruto!" shouted Temari as he heard her coming down the hallway.

"What?!" he shouted back, wondering what got her so angry.

She then peeked around the corner to stare at him with anger and irritation. "Would it kill you to put the toilet seat down once you're finished using it?" she asked sternly.

This was something that got on her nerves and she would have to nag Kankuro over the same damn thing back home in her family's mansion. She didn't want to have to go over this with Naruto over and over again either.

"Would it kill you to look where you're about to sit?" he asked with a brow raised, not thinking it was such a huge deal. Naruto instantly regretted asking when that earned him what he thought had to be the coldest and truly the most angriest look from her ever. The only thing that could scare him this much was when either A, he did something to really piss off Sakura or B, he did something to really piss off his mother. "...I'm sorry." he squeaked as he paled at the death glare from his new fiancee.

Temari calmed down in response to that before straightening up and placing a hand on one of her hip. "Don't be sorry, just be considerate." she told him in a more calm but firm tone. "You're not the only one living in this house now Naruto and you had better remember that." she told him.

"Okay, okay, I'll try and remember that." he replied, throwing his hands up.

"Good." she replied before turning and heading to her bedroom. "Have a good night Naruto." she called from down the hall.

Naruto heard the door to her room slam shut and he relaxed afterwards. 'Why are women so scary sometimes?' he asked himself as he picked his scroll back up.

[Next Morning]

Minato would roll over and yawn himself awake. Then he would hear sniffling and looked to see Kushina sitting at the edge of their bed. He was shocked to see her weeping and quite bitterly to, tears streaming down the sides of her face like rivers.

"Kushina." he said, getting up and moving towards her. "Kushina, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked as she only continued to cry.

Looking to see her husband now sitting next to her, she only sobbed and leaned into him resting her head against his shoulder while he brought an arm up to hold her. "Oh Minato." she sobbed as she cried into his shoulder.

After only a moment, he now understood what was upsetting her. "You're upset about "That" again aren't you?" he asked, looking sad for her as well.

She nodded her head and cried some more. "Minato, last night was so wonderful." she replied. "I loved every moment I spent with you and I always do, but I can't help but remember that no matter how many times my Husband makes love to me, I can no longer bear children with him." she cried some more.

Many years ago when Naruto was born, Minato had to quickly try and repair the damage done to the seal that contained the Kyuubi No Kitsune within her since it was weakened during her pregnancy. But they came under attack by a mysterious man in a black hooded cloak who's face was hidden behind a strange looking mask. This stranger forced Minato to make an impossible decision. Either leave his wife's side and let this man take her away, or watch helplessly as he murder their newborn son right in front of them. Kushina urged Minato to save Naruto, no matter what and he did so but only at the cost of the masked man disappearing with his wife. By the time he caught up with them both, it was too late. The Kyuubi was free.

Minato would save his critically injured wife and return her to their sleeping son so she could care for him while he did battle with the masked man who had the Kyuubi under his control. Eventually, he was able to land a critical hit and place a seal on the man's chakra, thus cutting off his control from the demon fox. The coward would slink away and leave Minato locked in battle with the chakra beast to defend his village. Once he gained the upper hand, he came up with the solution but knew it would come at a terrible price. Bringing Kushina with him, who caught the Kyuubi in her chakra chains and Minato made ready to seal it away within her. But there was a problem he didn't count on and that was her seal was badly damaged.

They then made the painful decision of having to seal away the Kyuubi within their newborn son. Just as Minato was about to summon the Reaper, luck turned in his favor again. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the now retired Sandaime Hokage came to their aid and offered to use the jutsu instead of Minato. He said he had since already lived a good life and was ready to die if it meant to save Konoha and he believed that it was better for the old to die then the young anyway. Using the Reaper Death Seal, Hiruzen sealed half the Fox away within Minato while the other half was sealed within their newborn son. They believed it best to seal half and half so that they both had the best chances of survival. Then at last, Hiruzen Sarutobi drew his last breath.

The villagers would mourn the death of the Third for many days after the event and Minato would remain by his wife's side as she fought to recover from her traumatic injuries from their terrible battle with the masked man. Since she was no longer a Jinchuuriki and didn't have the Kyuubi's healing factor, she had to take well over three weeks in the hospital to recover. The fact she survived such blood loss itself was incredible but then again, she was an Uzumaki and capable of many amazing feats. In the end though, she was just happy that she was able to hold her new son in her arms again and relax. Minato would help her out every chance he could in raising their new son and Kushina thought he was a great father.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months and months into years. Raising Naruto was an amazing experience for the both of them. What started out as long nights of late night feedings, bathing him and changing diapers quickly grew into even more and more wonderful memories. Naruto's first smile which Kushina was blessed to have caught on camera. His first steps, his first words. Both parents watched on as he was quickly growing up into a very happy and energetic child. They could both tell from the get go he was gonna be just like his mother and Kushina praised Kami for that. When Naruto turned two years old, she and Minato thought of a great idea. The both of them would try for another baby and make Naruto a big brother.

But what started out as nights of fun and bliss would change as each time she would try and conceive another baby from Minato would be unsuccessful. After about a month of trying and getting nowhere, the both of them would stop by the hospital for an answer. That was when the sad truth was made clear to them. When the Kyuubi was ripped out of her body, it not only damaged her chakra network system so the Fox couldn't be sealed back inside of her, it also did great damage to her reproductive system. Kushina was absolutely devastated when the doctor had to tell her that she could never again have children. Minato would watch with a broken heart as Kushina would cry herself to sleep night after night for over a week because of it.

This was one of those days when she would remember and it would tear her up inside over and over again. It never got any easier.

"Minato, it's not fair." she wailed as he held her in his arms and tried to calm her down. "I wanted to have a big Family with you. I wanted to have many Children with the man that I love and I wanted to give Naruto little Brothers and Sisiters so badly." she cried as her tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I know Kushina." he replied sadly, holding her in his arms and even crying a little as well. "I did too." he told her.

"I won't forgive him." she sobbed. "I'll never forgive that awful man for what he did to me." she said in both sadness and in anger.

Minato would hold her for a little while longer until she finally cried enough. Then they would both get their showers, have some breakfast and get ready for the day. Today, Temari was gonna swear an oath of allegiance to him as her new Hokage and to Konoha as her new home and village. Today, she was gonna be a new Leaf Kunoichi.

[Naruto And Temari's House]

Naruto and Temari's morning started out a lot like the previous one. Temari would get up first and Naruto would let her have the shower first. He may not have liked how long she would be in there but what can he do? He would then proceed to make breakfast for them and would simply get his shower once they were done eating. Naruto wouldn't need as much time in the shower as her so she would wait only a few minutes before they would need to leave. They weren't needed at the Hokage tower until noon anyway so they still had time. Once she had finished her morning rituals, Temari would come downstairs to a well prepared breakfast that he made for them. Both had an omelette, a few strips of bacon, some toast and a cup of coffee.

Neither of them really said anything at first and just kept to themselves while they ate. Naruto didn't really like these long silences so he decided to get her attention.

"So, today's the day huh?" he asked, getting her to look up from her plate.

"Yeah." she replied after swallowing her mouthful of egg. "The day I join Team 7. It's all very exciting." she told him in a matter of fact kinda manner.

"I take it we're splitting up once we leave then?" he asked her.

"I'm gonna meet up with my Brothers and Baki Sensei before heading to the Tower." she replied. "I'm guessing that you're heading straight there to meet up with your team before the whole thing starts." she added.

"I think that's the whole idea, yeah." he replied.

"Then I guess once we're done here, we'll see one another again real soon." she said before lifting her coffee to her lips for a sip.

The both of them would continue to eat in silence after that. Naruto didn't know this, but Temari didn't really like these silences either. Her problem was that she didn't know what to really talk about and neither of them were really quite sure how to handle the situation. A month of preparing to officially meet your betrothal and they still felt like they weren't prepared. In the end, they figured they would sort it all out over time but for now, they needed to focus on what was ahead of them.

[Hokage Tower]

Later that day, Temari would meet back up with her team and the Suna delegation before heading to the tower where the Hokage worked. As they walked, her thoughts strayed to her Hitai Ate which always rested around her neck. A few times, she would reach up to simply touch the metal with a few of her fingers and think about how very soon, she would be trading this in for a Konoha headband. She really didn't want to do this. She was proud of her status as a Suna ninja and remembered how when she was younger, she worked really hard to get this. But now she was gonna have to give it all up and wear the leaf headband. As much as she didn't want to, she remembered that she agreed to do this. It was her duty to do what was best for Suna.

Upon entering the Hokage's office, she saw that the room was filled with a large gathering of people who've come to bear witness to the moment she swears loyalty to Konoha. Being educated in diplomacy, she would have to choose her next words and actions very carefully. Saying the wrong thing would cause a lot of grief for people on both sides and the last thing she wanted to do was cause a major diplomatic incident between Konoha and Suna. They were trying to forge a new alliance between their villages, not make things even worse. With her were obviously her brothers Kankura and Gaara who've been her teammates ever since she graduated the Suna ninja academy. Baki, her sensei was with her as well and so were elders Ebizo and Chiyo.

To her left, lined up along one end of the room were team Asuma with Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi and team Gai with Might Gai, Rock Lee, Tenten and Neji Hyuuga. Along the other side of the room were team Kakashi with Kakashi Hatake, Naruto Namikaze, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha and team Kurenai with Kurenai Yuhi, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame. At the end of the room was the Yondaime Hokage himself, sitting behind his desk. With him to his right was his lovely wife Kushina and two of the three Sannin who were really close family friends to the Namikazes, Jiraiya and Tsunade. To his left were three of their village elders and councilors Homura, Koharu and Danzo. Everyone was here.

Everybody from Suna entered the room and stood in the center just a couple of feet away from the Hokage's desk. They waited for him to begin once the doors were closed. Minato who was sitting forward with his fingers laced beneath his chin then sat back in his chair while keeping his eyes on the young lady before him.

"Temari, step forward." Minato commanded. He watched as she stepped out of her group and walked up to his desk, standing only a foot away. "Do you swear to serve, to protect and to defend Konoahagakure No Sato and all those you live within the safety of our shadows?" he asked her.

"I do." she answered him.

"And do you swear to carry out the orders given to you by your superiors with obedience as well as the missions your Hokage gives with duty?" he asked.

"I do." she answered again.

"And do you swear unwavering loyalty to your new brothers and sisters in arms?" he asked.

"I do." she answered a third time.

"And to do so now until death, no matter the cost?" he asked at last.

"Upon my life, my blood and all earthly honor, so I swear." she answered one last time.

Minato then extended a hand where Danzo handed him a file. He placed it on his desk, opened it up in front of her and pulled out a slip of paper before turning it over to her.

"Temari, the signing of this document will make your transfer to Konoha legal and official." he told her. "Once you've finished signing, I'll ask Kakashi to sign it as a witness and then I'll stamp it with my seal of approval which will make your transfer complete." he explained before handing her a pen.

The young blonde woman took the pen that was offered and looked down to see the dotted line where she was meant to leave her signature. As much as she may not have wanted to, there was no going back. She sighed and signed her name as neatly as she could before the Hokage asked her new sensei, Kakashi to come forward and he signed where he was supposed to. Minato then took the paper and looked it over and once he saw that everything was in order, he took out the stamp meant to be the Hokage seal of approval and then stamped it at the very bottom which meant he had approved it. He then handed the file over to Danzo who placed it back into the file and then he opened up his desk to pull out another form and a Konoha headband.

"As of today, you're now a Kunoichi of of the Hidden Leaf Village." he continued. "When we're done here, I want you to fill out this quick application and turn it over to Ebisu downstairs who'll take your picture and provide you a new photo ID. And I also present to you the Konoha Hitai Ate. Wear it proudly, for it is yours." he told her.

Temari hesitated for only a moment but remembered that many eyes were upon her. She reached up to undo the knot from around her neck and undid the Suna headband she had worn for so long before taking it completely off and putting it down onto Minato's desk. Then she picked up the Leaf headband and tied it around her neck like her old one and let it rest on her shoulders like the Sand one used to. And like that, she was now a Konoha ninja for everyone to see. She then picked up her old one and sighed before turning to Baki to present it to him.

"No Temari, you keep it." he told her.

"Sensei, I can't." she replied. "I'm...I'm not a Suna Ninja anymore so I can't wear it." she told him, trying not to get emotional.

"That doesn't mean you have to forget who you are or where you're from." he replied, stepping forward and placing his hands on her shoulders. "You may now wear Konoha's Headband, but to us you're still Temari of the Desert. You may live here now, but you're still Rasa's Daughter." he told her.

"Baki is right Temari." said Minato, getting the young blonde woman to turn to him. "The only thing we're changing is your future, not your past and I see nothing wrong with wanting to remember your place in Suna. If it means as much to you as it does, I will permit you to keep the Suna Hitai Ate." he told her. Temari smiled at that and put it away in her satchel. She may no longer wear it, but she was gonna keep it as it was still hers and a part of her proud heritage. "Naruto, step forward." said the Hokage as his young son left his group to stand side by side with Temari. "It has been decided that your wedding day will take place in exactly three months from today on April the ninth." he said while leaning forward on his elbows on his desk.

"On that day, you will be joined together in Holy Matrimony and be fully recognized as Husband and Wife." he continued. "Your marriage will serve as an important symbol of the new alliance and friendship between our villages and the birth of a new era of peace." he explained before leaning back in his chair again. "Have either of you any questions?" he asked which got Naruto to raise his hand. "Yes Son." he replied, letting him know it was okay to ask.

"Yeah, not that I have a problem with the date or anything, but why are we waiting till April?" he asked, putting his hand back down.

Minato figured it a fair question and nodded before answering. "Naruto, your wedding to Temari isn't just an event exclusively for your family and friends." he replied. "This is a very important political wedding which is of great significance to both of our villages. You and Temari both will become very important political figures to Konoha and Suna so there are many important people who'll wish to attend the wedding. These men and women you'll have as guests are very powerful clan leaders and noble men and women from very important families to both the lands of Fire and Wind. Considerable time and preparations are needed to ensure that we're ready for the guests and are able to see to their needs and their security." he explained to him.

Naruto nodded, figuring that it made a lot of sense. That was when Temari raised her and and Minato nodded, granting her permission to speak.

"Hokage-Sama, I wish to know of the final condition of the marriage and my obligation to my Husband and his Family." she told him.

The only people in the room who didn't quite get that were Naruto and Temari's friends. But Naruto, Kankuro and Gaara were fully aware as was everyone else and Naruto gulped, trying not to think about "That" little part of the tradition.

"It has been decided that there's no immediate need for you and Naruto to fulfill the final condition given that it's been agreed by both sides that you're still too young for parenthood." he replied which then became clear to everyone who wasn't aware yet. "You and Naruto will have a few years to talk it over and think about it before you're both finally obligated to complete the terms." he explained to her. Once she was satisfied with the answer, he made sure that there was nothing else. "Is there anything else?" he asked. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Then that will be all, everyone is dismissed." he finished and watched as everyone filed out of his office and went on their way, leaving him alone now with his wife who wanted to talk.

"Minato." she said, getting him to stand up from his seat.

"I know Kushina." he replied, turning to face her.

"We've just set Naruto's future for him." she said. "No matter how many times I think about it, I feel like we're letting the village use him as a pawn for their political games." she said sadly.

Minato leaned in to hug and hold his wife to him. "Naruto is remarkably strong and he'll be fine." he told her. "He'll endure as he always has and we'll be there for him and Temari once they start their new life together." he told her.

"I know." she replied smiling but still unsure. "But I can't get it out of my head that there was still something we could have done for him." she told him.

"Kushina, we both knew the day I became Hokage that this was probably gonna happen one day." he replied. "And I've said before that the Shinobi Family must endure and this is one of those challenges. But I'm sure Naruto will find happiness in the end. We did and will always continue to do what we can for him." he told her.

Kushina smiled again and leaned in to hug him again and the both just stood behind the desk to hug for a while longer.

[Konoha Gates]

Naruto went with Temari to see Gaara and Kankuro off. He gave her some space and simply watched as she first hugged Kankuro tightly in one last loving embrace. Though he wasn't showing it, this was really hard on Kankuro. He knew it was gonna be quite some time before he'd have a chance to see his big sister again.

"You behave yourself, understood?" she asked once they parted.

"Why am I the one you have to tell that to?" he asked, only getting her to cross her arms and look at him with an "Is that a real serious question?" expression.

She then hugged Gaara who held her tightly like he did before back home. "I'm gonna miss you both." she told him before they parted.

The both of them would then watch as Gaara, Kankuro, Baki and the rest of the Suna delegation would leave down the road until they completely disappeared into the distance. Naruto looked up to see a serious face on his bride.

"Temari, are you okay?" he asked her, getting the older blonde to look his way.

Her expression wasn't harsh, just serious. Like she was trying to keep her emotions under control. She sighed and was more relaxed now. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking." she answered.

Naruto then put his hands behind his head and started walking with her as they reentered the village together. "Well, we have the rest of the day. Wanna hang out?" he offered.

She looked to her side to respond. "What did you have in mind?" she asked him.

Naruto grinned up at her. "Sasuke and Kiba told me that everyone's meeting at the Shushuya's." he answered. "Apparently, everyone's gathering there to throw you a proper welcoming party." he told her.

Temari was actually surprised to hear that and found the thought intriguing. "Is that right?" she asked, raising one of her brows.

"It's a great place to just unwind, relax and enjoy some great food." he told her. "Wanna come?" he asked.

"I could go for a bite to eat, sure." she replied with a small smile after realizing she was a little hungry.

And so Naruto would lead her to one of their favorite places to hang out and relax.

[The Shushuya's]

Temari was surprised by how nice this place actually was. It felt like a lounge where you would relax after a long day of training and just wanted to hang out. In addition to the standard menu, there was also a Mongolian grill where you could select a nice variety of meat, vegetables and seasoning so it could be cooked right in front of you and be delivered fresh off the grill, a Sushi bar where you could get some really good choices in seafood and the place also allowed dogs so Kiba was allowed to have Akamaru join them. She was also surprised to be so warmly welcomed by all of Naruto's friends. Once they were all seated, they got their drinks and had a toast in honor of hers and Naruto's engagement which was really quite flattering to her.

She was sure once she moved to Konoha that she was gonna have it rough, especially since she did take part in the attack against the village months ago. But apparently, it was all water under the bridge for them now. All of Naruto's friends were very polite and frankly, quite fun to hang out with. She surprised herself several times at how much fun she was having. She sat next to Naruto at the large table and would take turns talking to everyone else around her. Eventually after a few hours of eating and socializing, she excused herself to find the ladies restroom. Upon entering though, she stopped dead in her tracks to see an all too familiar Kunoichi. Tenten who was washing her hands at the sink turned to see her standing at the door.

The moment was a little tense at first. She didn't know how the young brunette was gonna react or feel towards her. During the preliminaries of the Chunin exams, Temari fought against her in single combat and she didn't just beat her in the fight, she humiliated and wrecked her. She didn't know this, but Tenten had to spend several days in the hospital to recover from her injuries and even after she was released, she was sore for several days longer which made Gai's training sessions an even bigger pain in her ass. Temari wasn't to sure what to say as the other girl just continued washing her hands. Finally, Tenten just smiled and turned off the water.

"You can relax Temari." she said, grabbing a paper towel to dry her hands with. "If you're worried that I'm holding a grudge over our fight, don't let it bother you. I may be very competitive, but I'm not a sore loser. You beat me fair and square and it was simply the luck of the draw that I would fight a wind user." she told her.

Temari smirked and placed a hand on her hip. "I'm glad you feel that way." she replied. "I would really hate for there to be any bad blood between me and my new sister in arms." she told her.

"Well, there isn't so don't let it keep you up at night." she said before walking past her. She then turned back to face the older blonde girl one more time. "But that doesn't mean that there's no score to settle between us." she said, getting Temari to turn to her again.

"Is that so?" she asked with another smirk.

"One day, you and I are gonna have another fight and this time, I'm gonna win and settle the score." she told her with a smirk of her own.

"I hope you're able to back up those words and your confidence." replied Temari. "I'll have you know that I've gotten a whole lot stronger since the last time we dueled." she told her.

"Then I'll be glad it won't be too easy." replied Tenten. "Because so have I." she finished before exiting the girls bathroom.

'Then this will be interesting.' Temari thought with another smirk.

[Author's Notes] So yeah, not too different from how it used to be written out except for the new writing style and being lengthened a bit with a few minor changes as to how I did it before. Hope you all like it and will continue reading the chapters as I rewrite and update each one.

As always, thanks so much for reading my stories, please leave me either a PM or a Review as I love hearing from my readers.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	8. Welcome To Team 7

[Naruto And Temari's House]

The next morning started out a lot like the last few days before. Temari would wake up first and call the first shower while Naruto would get up and head downstairs to the kitchen and get breakfast started. The former Suna ninja would take her time in the shower and enjoy letting the hot water run down her skin. Then she'd get out, dry off, get dressed, brush her teeth and hair before putting it up in her usual pigtails and head back downstairs to see breakfast laid out by her young fiancee. She was really starting to enjoy these morning meals with Naruto because he proved to be an excellent cook. The food he made was delicious without being overbearing and never felt stuffed but she felt satisfied with how much he made for her.

Naruto always had a pot of coffee ready for her as well so she could fix herself a cup of the warm delicious breakfast beverage. It may not have been Land of Wind brand which was her favorite, but Land of Fire made good coffee as well so she wouldn't complain. She was actually in a good mood this morning. Yesterday was pretty rough for her, having to give up on being a Sand ninja and becoming a Leaf ninja while having an emotional goodbye with her brothers, but Naruto and his friends made up for it by throwing her a very nice welcome party at a great eatery which she was gonna consider going to again in the future. They even paid for her meal and she was quickly learning to like several of the others Naruto called friends.

The both of them ate quietly on opposite ends of the dining room table. One of the problems they both still had was their meals at the table alone were pretty awkward sometimes because neither of them really knew what to say or what to talk about. It's only been three days since Temari moved in with Naruto and they were still trying to grow comfortable with their new roommate. Once breakfast was done, Naruto would run upstairs to take his shower and get started while she decided to do the dishes and wait for him. Naruto told her that they would still have some time before they were needed at the training fields. Naruto got done washing quickly, then brushed his teeth and got dressed into his usual shinobi uniform and gear.

Temari turned to see him come back downstairs in his orange hoodie with the hood down, his blue shinobi pants with blue ninja sandals and his Hitai Ate tied around his forehead. She watched as he swung his ninjaken over his shoulders and tied it securely so it hung off his back with the hilt right behind his right shoulder.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

"Let's go." she replied with a nod.

Naruto opened the door, let her out first and followed her while locking it behind them. The both of them then walked side by side towards the front gates of the village where they would head to team 7's training field where they were to meet Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi. While they walked, Naruto thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and looked to see a box with two little eye holes in the front. He let out a tired sigh, thinking it was too early for him to have to deal with these three already. Temari saw Naruto stop and turned to look at what he was looking at.

"Naruto, what's up?" she asked.

Naruto just focused on the box before speaking. "Kono, Moegi, Udon, I know you three are in there, you're not fooling me." he said plainly.

That's when the box was lifted and three kids charged out shouting "GET HIM!" only for all of them to trip on their own feet and land on their faces. Naruto just stood there with a drop of sweat comically falling down the side of his face while Temari watched all puzzled. The boy in the middle who she had to assume was the leader looked back up finally. "Well played Boss, you've proven once again why you're a worthy rival in our battle for the title of Hokage." he said with a serious face.

"...But I didn't even do anything." he replied.

That was when the kid saw the other blonde girl looking at them. "Hey, who's she?" he asked his friend.

As the kids got up to their feet again, Naruto smiled. "Right, introductions." he began. "Temari, these are some of my friends Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon." he told her listing off the kids with the matching set of green goggles on their heads. "And guys, this is Temari from Suna. She's my...Fiancee." he said, trying to make it sound right to himself. He still couldn't get sometimes how he was now engaged to a girl so soon in his life.

"Well, any friend of the Boss is a friend of..." Kono stopped himself halfway before the information finally clicked in their little heads. "FIANCEE?!" they all freaked at once. Temari rolled her eyes while Naruto had to take twenty minutes to fully explain to the kids that Konoha and Suna have been negotiating a new alliance between both their villages and part of it was having Naruto and Temari married to cement the alliance. He told the three of them that they were gonna be married in three months from now. "So your folks are forcing you to marry this girl because her village attacked us? Wow Boss, you must have really pissed em off." he said, almost instantly regretting it when he saw her reaction.

Temari glared at him with a very cold look while cracking her knuckles. "You wanna run that by me again you little brat?" she asked.

"I-I-I-I-I Mean, you sure are lucky to be engaged to such a pretty and strong Kunoichi Boss." he stuttered.

Temari smirked and crossed her arms. "That's what I thought you said." she said with satisfaction.

That was when Moegi stepped forward to Naruto. "Hey Naruto, can you play ninja with us today?" she asked him.

"I'm sorry guys, not today." he answered which bummed out all three kids in response.

"You never play with us anymore Boss." said Kono pouting.

"I'm sorry guys, but I'm not an Academy student anymore." he replied. "I'm a Genin and a member of a squad so I'm really busy these days. I don't have a lot of time to play." he told them. The three of them looked really disappointed so he thought he'd cheer them up. "I'll tell you what. I got some training with me team and some with my Dad but I have more time tomorrow. How bout we play then?" he offered.

"Alright!" Kono cheered with a thumbs up. That was when the three of them ran off. "Later Boss!" said Kono as he ran off after Udon.

"It was very nice to meet you Temari." said Moegi with a quick bow before leaving.

As Naruto and Temari turned and continued on their way to the training grounds, Temari turned to the younger blonde. "Play Ninja?" she asked with a smirk.

"It's a game I play with them from time to time when I'm able to spare some time with em." he replied. "It's kind of a cross between hide-n-seek and tag really." he explained.

"I take it your their Senpai then?" she asked him.

"Yeah Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon will be entering the Academy soon so I've taken the time to show them a few things to help them along while they study." he told her. "I met them shortly after I graduated and we cliched very quickly. Did you know that Kono'a Grandfather was the Third Hokage?" he asked her.

"I didn't." she answered.

"Yeah, he and I both come from famous families which is what motivated us to pursuing our dreams to become Hokage." he told her. "The only difference is Kono never had a chance to meet his Granddad and has only grown up hearing stories about him while I've been raised by both of my parents." he added. "So what about you?" he asked. "Do you have any friends back home in Suna?" he asked.

Temari was quiet for only a moment before answering. "I became close friends with two of my classmates, Sen and Yome." she answered. "We played when we were little and through our Academy years and even after we graduated and were assigned to different teams, we still hang out whenever we can. They were some of the few who weren't intimidated by my status as the Kazekage's Daughter." she told him.

Naruto was a bit surprised to hear her say that. "I would have thought having the Kazekage as your Dad would have made you even more popular." he commented.

"You'd think that, but you'd be wrong." she replied. "My Father as a village leader could be a very intimidating man most of the time and he commanded respect. He also had very high expectations for his children like Kankuro and I. We had to study hard to meet his standards and he would never allow us to settle for anything less than excellence. If either of us were to not able to score an A for our studies or not make good on training exams, it would result in us being summoned to his office and lectured for over an hour. Within reason, he would raise his voice and yell at us, but he was pretty cold and did a good job at letting us know he was disappointed. If Kankuro and I did do well, he would only respond with "I know you can do better." as a response." she explained.

Naruto was beginning to feel sorry for her at this point. "Temari, was there no room for nurturing or love? I mean, he's your Father." he asked her.

"Naruto, my Father isn't the kind of man you bonded with." she answered. "He was a man of principle and took his job and responsibilities very seriously. There were times growing up where I saw some of the strain weighing heavily on him. Now, I know he did care about Kankuro and I. We may have been born out of necessity, but we were still his children and he did care. He just never really showed it. Sometimes I wonder if he just didn't know how and I can't recall a time where I've ever seen him smile. At the very least, I respected him. As for any strong feelings for him, I can't decide if they're either positive or negative." she explained.

"What about your Mother? Wasn't she around?" he asked as they exited the village gates.

"Mom was good to both Kankuro and I while we still had her." she answered. "Both my parents were brought together in a marriage arrangement too so I don't believe they were really happy together. But Mom loved us both and I think that made things easier being the Kazekage's Wife. She died though when I was only three years old. She had complications during her pregnancy which was why Gaara had to be delivered early. I think that's another reason why Dad was so cold. I think he did love Mom despite it being an arranged marriage and this was his way of dealing with the grief." she told him.

Naruto was feeling pretty bad now about making things so personal. "Temari, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried." he said to her.

"No it's fine." she replied. "I actually don't mind talking about it and since we're gonna be married we shouldn't be keeping secrets from one another anyway." she told him. "Besides, that's why I was so taken back after meeting your parents for the first time. I was expecting them to be very refined and proper but they seem to be very down to Earth." she commented.

"They know how to put on an appearance sure, but they've always preferred to live more practically in private." he replied.

"I'm actually a little envious." she admitted. "Your parents are such nice people. It makes me wish my parents could have been more like that." she said with a small smile.

It didn't take long at all before the both of them would arrive at the training grounds where they saw Sasuke and Sakura already waiting for them. Neither of them were surprised to not see Kakashi there yet either. As the both of them approached, Sakura was the first to see them. She smiled and waved to them both.

"Hi guys!" she called out to them.

"Hi Sakura!" Naruto called back as he and Temari came up to both her and Sakura.

"I take it Kakashi Sensei isn't here yet?" asked Temari to the young pinkette.

Sakura huffed and rolled her eyes at the question. "Sensei's never on time." she answered. "And he's always got a stupid excuse as for why he's always late." she added.

Naruto then looked over to his other teammate. "How's it goin Sasuke?" he asked him.

"Fine, you?" he asked back in a less then warm and friendly mood.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" he asked his friend.

"I'm fine." he simply replied.

They watched as he stepped off to lean against a tree and as Sakura ran over to try and talk to or impress him again. "Who pissed in his coffee?" Temari asked Naruto.

"Sasuke's always in a bad mood, that's kind of normal for him these days." he replied.

Now although they're supposed to be at their training grounds at seven am, it was nearly nine by the time Kakashi was finally in view. All four genin were getting a bit annoyed with how long he kept them waiting. He slowly made his way over with his face still in his book which Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke saw and all thought "Of course", not surprised at all that he would be reading his _"Icha Icha"_ like he always did. Even Temari saw this and had to roll her eyes at it. She recognized the book because Kankuro had the collection in his bedroom as well and she could hardly believe that Kakashi of the Sharingan would be the sort to read one of those filthy novels. The silver haired jonin was about ten feet away when he finally looked up at his team.

"Good morning everyone." he greeted in a lazy yet nice tone.

"What took you so long Sensei?!" shouted both Naruto and Sakura in unison.

"Sorry about that." he replied while rubbing the back of his neck. "I got distracted by helping a little old lady move some heavy products at her store and lost track of time." he explained.

"That's gotta be the worst lie yet." Naruto replied crossing his arms.

"That's not very nice Naruto." he said while putting his book away. "But anyway, now we're here. How about we get some introductions underway." he suggested.

This puzzled the three younger students. "But we already know who our teammates are." Sakura replied with a brow raised slightly.

"True, but we do have a new member." he replied, referring to Temari. "I believe it's still important to share with one another and build a new bridge with her." he added.

The four of them did know who each were, but they figured they may as well. Temari thought she'd ask Kakashi something before they began.

"Well, can I know more about my new Team Leader? I know your name and have read a little, but I don't know a whole lot about you Kakashi." she said to the jonin.

"Very Well." he replied. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. My interests and hobbies are none of your business. The things I like and don't like are none of your business either. And lastly, my dreams for the future are also none of your business." he finished.

Temari just started for a second in response. 'Well isn't he a wellspring of knowledge and wisdom.' she thought rolling her eyes.

"Now, how about all of you. Naruto, you first." he suggested.

"Right, my name is Naruto Namikaze." he began. "I graduated seventh in my class at the academy and was tutored by both my parents personally. I've learned both Kenjutsu from my Mom and Taijutsu from my Dad. I also know the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu and my Dad's Rasengan which only took my one month to learn and one week to master. On my days off, I like pulling pranks on people and stopping by the Ichiraku for a bowl of ramen and to say hi to some friends there. My dream in life is to succeed my Dad and become the next Hokage" he finished.

"Alright, Sakura?" Kakashi suggested.

"My name is Sakura Haruno." she began. "I graduated second in the Academy, coming only behind Sasuke-Kun. I have the best chakra control on the team and I'm the most knowledgeable in utilizing chakra for the use of Jutsus." she said before blushing a little. "I have a few things I really like and not a whole lot of things I don't like." she said before sneaking a quick glance over to Sasuke. "And I have a very special dream to aspire to." she finished.

"Alright then. Sasuke?" Kakashi asked looking over to the young Uchiha.

Sasuke let out a sigh before responding. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha." he began. "I graduated first in my class and whatever training I don't get from here, I get from my Older Brother Itachi personally. I've learned how to use my Sharingan recently and although I haven't fully mastered it, I can still use it very effectively in combat. I also know several Fire Style Ninjutsu and recently learned a Lightning Style Jutsu called the Chidori from Kakashi Sensei. I don't have very many things I like and there are plenty of things I hate. My dream is to hunt down and kill the man who betrayed my Clan and killed my Parents in cold blood." he finished.

"Very good. And now it's your turn Temari." said the silver haired jonin.

She first crossed her arms before she began. "My name is Temari." she started. "I am the first born of three and the only Daughter to the Forth Kazekage. I graduated first in my class from the Suna Academy when I was twelve years old and was assigned immediately to the same team as my Brothers Kankuro and Gaara to be trained under our Sensei Baki. I have excellent chakra control and a knowledge of a few basic jutsus but specialize in Wind Style like the Wind Scythe Jutsu so my combat style involves fighting from a distance. I was also my team's strategist and planned out most of the missions I went on with my Brothers. I was also educated in politics and diplomacy at a young age. My dreams are my business and none of yours." she finished.

Something in Temari's intro caught Kakashi's attention. "Did you say that you specialize in Wind Style Ninjutsu? Does that mean you have a natural Wind Affinity?" he asked her.

"Yes." she answered. "In fact, I'm the only one in my family who does. My Father hired some of the best tutors to help my learn how to summon and utilize my Wind chakra in combat." she explained.

"Kakashi Sensei, I've been meaning to ask. What are Chakra Affinities?" Sakura asked.

"That's an excellent question and I'm pleased that we have a chance to explain." he answered. "All people are born with at least one kind of chakra affinity which grants them special skills over one of five main elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and lightning are the most common. There are a number of uncommon and rare chakra affinities as well, but let's just focus on the five for now. When a person is born with a chakra affinity of a certain element, that ninja will be most suited for that kind of element in learning Ninjutsu. It doesn't mean you can't learn the other four mind you, it just means they're better suited for the one they're naturally born with. Learning others can be very hard and most of the time, can't be done." he explained.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked him.

"Well for instance, I'm a Lightning Affinity user." he replied. "I'm able to learn and use other elements but since I'm more attuned to Lightning, using other jutsus can be very challenging. Even with my Sharingan eye, using a jutsu that isn't lightning will cause more of a strain and require more chakra for me to use than a lightning style jutsu. Does that make sense?" he asked him.

"Yeah, I think I get it." he replied.

"Kakashi Sensei, are Element Affinities inherited?" Sakura asked him.

"Well, yes and no." he replied. "It's entirely of the luck of the draw on which element affinity you're born with. If a man who's a Fire has a child with a woman who's a Water were to have a child, there's no guarantee that the child will be either a fire or water. He or she still has a one out of five for either of the five main elements. If both parents are Fire, it may maximize the odds of their child inheriting Fire as well, but you must remember that every strand of DNA is unique. The only time Chakra Affinities are inherited is when you have Clans who have a Kekkei Genkai like the Uchiha Clan or the Hyuuga Clan. All members of the Uchiha have two Elements, Fire and Water. It's very rare for a member to be born with a different affinity." he finished.

"Naruto, do you know what yours is?" Sakura asked him.

"I'm a Wind user like my Dad is. My Mom's a Fire user." he told her.

Kakashi smiled from behind his mask hearing that. "Then it seems to me Naruto that the best person to help you learn Wind Style Ninjutsu is your Bride." he told him which got both Naruto and Temari to look one another in the eye. "Alright, I think we've talked long enough so let's begin today's training sessions." he told them.

"What's gonna be our focus today Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I'm glad you asked." he replied. "Because we're focusing largely on combat training today and now that we have another girl on the team, it would be nice if we can split you both up into pairs." he told them.

"You mean you want me to spar with Sakura?" Temari asked him.

"Correct." he answered. "I believe that it will benefit you both to be able to train and spar with someone of the same sex for a change while I train with Naruto and Sasuke." he told them.

Both of them thought it was a good idea. Temari was never a really physical person, always preferring to fight from a distance and Baki Sensei had warned her in the past that while her fighting style was very effective, if an enemy were to ever close the gap, she could be at a disadvantage then because her taijutsu skills weren't as sharp as her ranged attacks which would wined up being her Achilles heel in a fight. Sakura thought it would be nice to have another girl for a training partner for a change as well and that this would be a great opportunity for her to not only improve her own skills in taijutsu, but to also get to know her new teammate as well. Both ladies would walk a short distance and Temari would lay her fan off to the side before they'd begin.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke were gonna double team Kakashi in a two on one sparing match. This was most beneficial because not only would this improve the boys ability to work as a team but to also get a real good match by going up against a really experienced jonin like Kakashi. Looking to his left and right, the silver haired jonin readied himself for the hard fight ahead. Both Naruto and Sasuke have come far since they first graduated from the academy months ago but that didn't surprise him given who was their private tutors. Itachi was a very busy man these days and wouldn't get to train with Sasuke as much as he'd like but when he did, Sasuke's skills seemed to increase dramatically afterwards. He was quickly becoming a real heavy hitter.

Naruto was nothing to turn your nose up at either. Trained by both his parents, he rivaled Sasuke in both combat skills and creativity. Naruto's taijutsu he learned from his father Minato made him a force to be feared in a fight but his swordsmanship he got from his mother terrified him sometimes. Naruto's techniques with a blade were hard to read most times so Kakashi really had to stay on his toes when going up against him. Whenever he spared with em, Kakashi always told both of them to come at him as if they were trying to kill him. They needed to grow more comfortable with the idea that they would probably need to take a life one day and Kakashi needed to keep his skills sharp and what better way to do that then to have your life on the line?

After a few moments in a silent stand off, Kakashi threw several kunai knives to his left and right towards Naruto and Sasuke. Both dodged with Naruto dashing towards him in a zigzag pattern while Sasuke jumped up and threw several shuriken in midair. Kakashi quickly deflected all the shuriken and at the last second, dodged a sword swing from Naruto by jumping upwards when Naruto slashed at him from a sideways swinging motion. He then landed and quiclkly blocked both of their next attacks by drawing two kunai and catching both Sasuke and Naruto's attacks at once.

"You both have gotten faster." he commented calmly.

"We don't waste our free time goofing around Sensei." replied Sasuke.

"And we both have an excellent teacher." Naruto added with a grin.

"Thank you." he replied with a smile from behind his mask.

Meanwhile, Temari was really putting Sakura through her paces. Temari was unfamiliar with Konoha's basic form of taijutsu but she quickly got used to it as she spared with the young pinkette. Sakura was the more aggressive one, hoping that keeping the older girl on the defensive would give her the advantage once she found an opening. Instead, Temari was the first to find an opening and would strike her once in the ribs, causing her to stumble back at first before having to recover quickly once Temari went on the offensive. Sakura was fast, but Temari's form was much better and very soon, she overwhelmed her and with several well placed strikes, sent the young pinkette falling back on her butt with Temari standing over her.

"Taijutsu isn't my favorite form of combat mind you but I'm not too bad at it either." Temari said with a smirk.

"Clearly, I've got a lot to work on." replied Sakura with some disappointment.

Temari offered her a hand and hoisted her back up to her feet. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of Sakura." she told her. "I can tell you've got your forms down and you're executing them well, but you haven't sharpened them enough to effectively use them in combat. I'm confident that once we have several more sparing matches just like this one, we'll see an improvement." she told her.

Sakura smiled at the kind words and encouragement. "Thank you Temari." she said to the older girl.

"Now." she replied taking another stance. "Let's go again." she told her before they started another sparing session.

Temari would spar with Sakura while Naruto and Sasuke would spar with Kakashi and they did this for well over and hour. After everyone was a bit winded, Kakshi advised they take a quick break for lunch. For the next half hour, the five of them sat in a circle with their bento boxes and enjoyed eating and socializing with one another. As always, Naruto and Sakura were the most talkative of the team while Sasuke was quiet the whole time and ate without saying anything to anyone. Kakashi didn't actually eat, saying he wasn't hungry at all and chose to read from his adult novel some more. Seriously, what is it with team leaders reading these filthy novels. Kakashi collected _"Icha Icha"_ as did her brother Kankuro and her old Sensei Baki.

Once everyone had finished their lunch break, They then decided to try improving team battles. Naruto would summon dozens of clones, she still couldn't get where he came up with all the stamina and chakra and then he'd have them all use a henge to change into a stereotypical black clad ninjas. Then he would have them surround the group and everyone would work together as they'd swarm in to attack them. This was tricky because Naruto would allow them all to act independently so they were less predictable when fighting them. Still, it didn't take long before the five of them would come up with several successful strategies in dealing with multiple enemies surrounding you and they would fight on till they'd all be dispersed.

The five of them would fight on like this for well over another hour and then Kakashi would call it a day with the four of them barely able to remain on their feet from fatigue.

"You all did really good today." he said while the four of them were huffing and puffing. "I'll remember to step things up tomorrow to really put you through your paces." he added which earned few groans while he was simply smiling from behind his mask. "For now, get some rest becuase you've earned it." he finished before taking out his book and walking back to the village with his face firmly planted in it.

Sakura walked up to Temari who just put her fan back over her shoulders. "I really appreciate you taking the time to help me train Temari." she said cheerfully.

"Glad I could help." replied the older blonde.

"Anyways, I've got get home and do some chores. See you all tomorrow." she said happily before waving and walking home.

Naruto walked up to Sasuke who was brooding as always. "Hey Sasuke, I was gonna hang out at Kiba's for a bit before I headed to my Dad's later. Did you wanna come with and hang out?" he offered.

"No." replied the Uchiha plain and simple.

"Oh come on Sasuke." Naruto responded. "You never want to hang out anymore while Kiba and I don't even know who you are." he told him.

"I don't have time Naruto, I have to get back to my Clan's Compound for training." he told him.

"But we just finished a training session with Kakashi Sensei." Naruto protested. "How much training can you need in one day?" he asked.

"I gotta go. See you both again tomorrow." replied Sasuke.

"Sasuke, come on." Naruto said as his friend just walked off without turning back to him.

Temari saw the disappointment in Naruto's eyes and wanted to see if she could help. "Are you okay?" she asked her groom.

"He never wants to hang out with us anymore." he answered. "He just gets colder and more distant whenever I try having a friend again." he told her.

"I take it that you and Sasuke are close?" she asked genuinely curious of the relationship between the boys and wondering what happened.

"Sasuke and Kiba are some of my oldest friends." he began. "All our Moms were best friends when they were growing up and in the Academy so it only made sense that they would arrange play dates with their own kids. That's how I met Sasuke and Kiba. Mom had her old friends Mikoto and Tsume come over when we were all four I think so we could play. Since then, we were firm friends for a long time." he told her.

"That sounds really nice." she said smiling and feeling a little envious of not having a similar childhood when she was a little girl. "But what changed?" she asked.

"There was an incident between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan." he answered. "Sasuke's Parents, Lord Fugaku and Lady Mikoto as well as his Older Brother Itachi uncovered the plans of a coup planned by another Uchiha member by the name of Shisui who was hoping to grab at power. His plan was foiled and the coup was stopped, but he killed Sasuke's parents before escaping. We were only eight years old when it happened" he told her.

"That's awful." she replied, thinking it must have been hard for a child to be orphaned at such a young age.

"Since then, we saw a change in Sasuke." he continued. "He became colder and distanced himself from almost everyone. These days, he only wants to stay at the Uchiha Compound and train with Itachi. Kiba and I have tried many times to reach out to him, but each time he's always brushed us off. We try to remain hopeful and that he'll come back around again later if we keep trying, but Kiba and I are afraid that we may have lost our friend. And it breaks our hearts." he finished.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I shouldn't have brought it up." she replied, now feeling a little guilty for having to make her fiancee relive that.

"It's alright." he replied with a smile. "You were willing to share with me so I should do the same. Besides, I'm glad I was able to talk about it, even if just for a little bit." he told her.

Temari smiled and nodded. "So, you said you were gonna hang out with Kiba for a bit before heading to see your Dad?" she asked.

"Yeah, he and I were gonna just chill for a bit before I head back to see Dad. He has another very important training session for me today so I won't be home till later in the afternoon." he answered. "What about you?" he asked her.

"I'm gonna go to the store for a bit." she answered. "I'm preparing dinner tonight and I wanna plan ahead for several other meals later on so I'm gonna stock up on some ingredients." she told him.

"Then I guess I'll see you later today then." Naruto replied with a smiled.

Both of them went different ways once they entered the gates. Naruto would meet up with Kiba and they'd hang out for a bit while Temari would go grocery shopping.

[The Market District]

Temari was currently shopping around at the market district and looking at the vegetables on display. She had already gotten some sweet deals on the chicken that was on sale and even got s few nice fish too. Now she wished she had Naruto with her like he did when she first moved in with him because the basket in her arms was beginning to get a little heavy. She made it a mental note to ask him if he'd teach her the Kage Bunshin so she could use it in the future as well because she thought that once she would finish shopping, these bags were gonna be a little heavy. Still, she was having a decent shopping trip today with everyone she would interact with being very polite and reasonable with their prices.

If she had to guess, nobody was aware that she was a former Suna ninja because of the Leaf headband she was wearing. She thought about this being a benefit because nobody was gonna be rude to her anymore like that one asshole who mistreated her the last time she went shopping. Now that she thought about it, he was really rude to Naruto as well which didn't make a whole lot of sense to her given his status as the Hokage's son. She was still wondering why people here in Konoha would be so hostile to him. It made better sense that they wouldn't like her because she was from Suna but Naruto was born here and the child of a village leader. They should be treating him like a prince given that his father was Hokage and the Yellow Flash.

"Hello Temari!" a familiar voice called out to her. She turned to see the lady Kushina who looked like she was busy shopping as well. "It's very nice to see you again. How are you?" she asked her with a smile.

"It's very nice to see you again as well Kushina." she replied. "And I'm doing well, thank you." she added.

"Are you taking advantage of these sales today?" she asked her.

"That's what I was hoping to do yes." she answered. "I wanted to stock up on some more ingredients for future meals." she told her.

"Well, why don't you shop with me?" she offered. "You'll find that there are many benefits to being family to the Hokage and there are many discounts you can take advantage of." she said with a wink.

"I could use the company." she replied before being reminded of what she was thinking about before. "Kushina, may I ask you something?" she asked her.

"Of course dear, you can ask me anything you want." she replied happily.

"I went shopping with Naruto a couple of days ago and there was a man who was beyond rude to Naruto, he acted like he straight forward hated him." she began. "And while the both of us were out and about in the village, I noticed there were many people who were glaring at him quite coldly." she further explained which caused Kushina's smile to drop. "Now, I know what it's like to grow up with people around you who find you intimidating because of your status and family. But if I didn't know better, I'd swear that many people almost hate him. I mean, my Father being the Kazekage meant the respect I got was kind forced, but I never known anybody in Suna who hated me. Do you know why the villagers act the way they do around Naruto?" she asked her.

Kushina was quiet for a moment before responding. "I do know why they act that way, yes." she answered.

"...Well, why?" she asked her.

"I'm sorry Temari, I'm afraid I can't tell you that." she replied. Temari raised a brow in wonder as to why. "Please understand that it's not that I don't trust you. But this is something Naruto has been having to deal with since he was very young and it's a very sensitive issue in our family. Minato and I have tried to make things easier for him, but we can't control the way people think and many of them still harbor cold feelings towards him despite our best efforts. Minato even passed a law which forbids anybody from further talking about it. The three of us agreed that it was to remain a secret to anybody who didn't already know about it, but it would be his decision to make if he wanted to tell someone the truth." she finished explaining.

"I see." she replied.

Kushina stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Temari, I believe that this will be an opportunity for you to reach a level of understanding with Naruto. I'll talk to him when I get the chance, but I'll let him tell you if you decide to ask." she told her. "I'll tell you this, I know exactly what he's going through because I had to go through the same exact thing when I was a little girl. It's not fair, but it's how it's always been." she told her.

"Alright, thank you." she replied with a smile.

"One other thing, I was really hoping you and Naruto would come over for dinner tonight with Minato and I. We'd really like it if you would come." she told her.

Temari smiled at that. "I would love to and I'll be sure to tell Naruto once we finish talking." she replied. She was glad that she wouldn't have to do any cooking tonight if that was the case.

"Wonderful." replied Kushina "Now, let's continue our shopping trip. I'll show you some of the best ingredients for your future meals." she said with her cheerful attitude returning.

The both of them would continue shopping for a few more hours together and taking the time to get to know one another more. Temari really liked Kushina. She was not only very beautiful, but she was also very kindhearted and gentle. Kushina asked her if she was comfortable and if she and Naruto were getting along and she told her that she was doing fine with him. In the end, she would explain that she was still needing to adjust to the new environment she was in. Kushina made her a promise that if she ever needed someone to talk to, she would be happy to be a friend if she needed it. The both of them would really enjoy the time they spent together that day and would wish one another a good day before going on their way.

As she left the market district, she saw someone who looked like he was waiting for her. The man in question was one of the village elders who was present for her initiation ceremony yesterday in the Hokage's office. Most of his face was covered in bandages with only his left eye, ear, nose and mouth exposed with the top of his head. His right arm was hidden in the folds of his clothing as well and in his left hand was a cane he was leaning on. He had a very cold aura about him and much of him almost reminded her of her father. He seemed like the kind of man who was more than willing to cut corners and make the nasty decisions to protect the village. If she remembered, his name was Danzo and he was very very powerful in his own right.

"Temari, I was hoping if you could spare a moment. I would like to speak with you." he said in his very cold manner.

[Namikaze Compound]

Naruto was currently on his way to his family's compound after a nice long visit with his friend Kiba. The both of them had a nice long chat and he was even offered some tea by Tsume who let him relax in her living room while they hung out. Naruto enjoyed spending time with the Inuzukas. Tsume was a really cool mom, Hana was really nice and Kiba was a lot of fun to hang out with. Their dogs were all great as well and it was nice to always be so warmly welcomed whenever he came to their family's compound. Kiba was disappointed that Naruto wasn't able to convince Sasuke to come and visit again but they just promised one another that they would just keep trying. They would hold out hope that their friend would some back to them.

Now he was headed to his parents' house where he'd receive another personal training session from his dad. Naruto was always looking forward to these sessions and not just because he'd have another chance to learn more from his father and show him what he could do, but he also used it as a great way to spend more quality time with his father. In the past, Naruto really only got to see his dad when he came home from work which would go on all day and he'd only have a few hours with a dinner before the day was over. He was glad that his dad was living his dream of being Hokage and he wanted to live that dream too mind you, but it was hard sometimes when you didn't get to spend as much time with your father as you liked.

Naruto would arrive to see Minato waiting for him in his personal training field which had everything an elite jonin could ever want. There were targets set up, water where you could walk on to develop your skills in chakra control and a forest where you could improve your skills in laying in wait for your enemies. A very diverse training ground so you could learn how to fight and cast jutsu in different environments. The Hokage smiled and turned to his young son while twirling one of his special kunai knives in his fingers.

"I'm glad you could finally make it Naruto." he said while still twirling his weapon in his hand. "I would have thought you'd be here much sooner if it meant another training session with me. But I've been waiting for a while now, I hope you're not slowing down." he commented.

Naruto smirked at that. "I don't have the Hiraishin like you do Dad." he replied. "I've gotta make my way naturally until I've finally cracked the secret to your jutsu and can catch up. And if anyone should be worried about slowing down here, I would think it's you. You're the one who spent weeks in a coma after all." he said to him.

Minato smirked and tossed the kunai in the air before catching it again. "Well you've got nothing to worry about at all Son. I'm fully recovered and I'm still the Hokage." he told him.

Naruto reached behind to draw his ninjaken before charging forward in a zigzag pattern. Minato responded by mirroring his son's movements before the clashed in the center of the ring with Naruto's blade locking with Minato's.

"I can tell you've gotten faster Naruto. Clearly, Kakashi has been training you well. I'll have to thank him." he commented.

"I'm a whole lot stronger since the last time we've spared." Naruto bragged. "I'm gonna beat you this time, you can count on it." he told him as the metal of their blades were scrapping against one another.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Naruto." he retorted. "You've learned a great deal sure, but you still have a ways to go." he added.

"Then for this fight, I don't want you holding back." he said before breaking away and then slashing again, only for his dad to block that one too.

"Don't hold back?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure your Mother would be furious with me if I killed our only Son. But I promise not to disappoint." he told him.

The both of them started a series of dashes and clashes all over the training grounds with their blades ringing up and down the field. Naruto did his best to keep his father within his sights because once you've lost track of him, you were certain to lose the fight. He also made sure to keep his dad from getting behind him which wasn't easy given that he could throw more of his kunai knives out and litter the field with his shiki tags which would make things harder. Naruto was determined to beat him this time. Since the chunin exams and his recent trip with Jiraiya, Naruto wanted to finally beat his dad and show him just how strong he really was. Imagine everyone's reaction if he were to say that he, a thirteen year old beat the Yellow Flash.

[Author's Notes] So once again, I've finished rewriting and reforming the chapter so that the writing style is updated and matches. I'll continue doing this every chance I get until I've finished with all the chapters and soon, I can go back to regularly updating like I used to.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories, please leave either a Review or a PM as I love getting em and if you have any thoughts or ideas, please lay em on me.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	9. The Truth Revealed

[Konoha Streets]

Temari was currently walking the streets of the village and on her way to the Namikaze compound after her shopping trip. She also had her thoughts on her recent conversation with the village elder Danzo. Though he was very polite while they talked, he gave off this vibe that he was someone who was very powerful and influential in his own right and a big player in Konoha's politics. And he was as cold and emotionless as anyone could be. Being in his presence felt an awful lot like being before her own father Rasa. Danzo gave off this feeling that he was willing to do anything for the greater good of the village even if it meant taking some pretty extreme measures and he was accustomed to getting what he wanted, one way or another.

While she held herself well, she really didn't enjoy the conversation she had with him at all. Especially what he wanted to talk with her about. She was also still thinking about her last chat with Kushina and their talk about Naruto. For all her skills in being able to figure things out, she couldn't understand why the rest of the village was so cold and cruel to him. Naruto's dad was the Yondaime Hokage for goodness sake and a hero for that matter. Now Naruto can be pretty wild at times and despite his good grades in school, he could be pretty thick sometimes, but that's no excuse to treat someone like that. Especially if he's the son of your village leader. She grew up the daughter of the Yondaime Kazekage and everyone has always treated her like a princess.

She was so distracted by her thoughts, she didn't notice the other people who were coming around the corner. She did manage to react quickly enough to avoid running right into them. She quickly side stepped and put some space between herself and the others.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." she said with her hands up and a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

It was then she recognized them as two members of team Kurenai, Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuuga. "Hey, it's nothing to worry about." replied Kiba. "To be fair, we weren't paying a whole lot of attention either." he told her.

"Um, hello Temari." Hinata greeted shyly to the older girl.

"Hello Hinata, nice to see you and Kiba again so soon." she replied with a friendly smile.

"So, what brings you around this neck of the woods?" Kiba asked her.

"Well, I just finished a little shopping not long ago." she replied, holding up a bag of ingredients she purchased just recently. "I have a few more things I'm gonna get later, but first I'd like to talk to Naruto. He was last at your house Kiba, have you seen him?" she asked the Inuzuka.

"Yeah, we hung out for a short time to catch up before he had to leave." he replied. "I think he's still at his Family's Compound and in the middle on another training session with his Dad. If you won't find him there, then maybe he'll be headed home afterwards. You can always ask his folks if you need help." he explained.

"Thanks." she replied. She figured that she'd just finish shopping and grab a few more things for later meals. She'll talk to Naruto when she got back to the house so she could both talk to him and tell him about his mom's invitation to dinner.

"Um, Temari?" Hinata asked, getting her attention. "I, um, wanted to formally congratulate you for you engagement to Naruto-Kun." she said with a bow. "I really hope you two are happy together once you're married." she told her, rising again.

Temari smiled at that. "Thank you Hinata, that's kind of you to say." she replied. "Anyway, I've gotta get going. I hope you both have a nice day." she said as she turned to head back to the market.

"Goodbye." said Hinata.

"Later Temari." said Kiba before he turned to the young Hyuuga girl. "So, you've said what you've wanted to say to her. How are you feeling Hinata?" he asked her.

Hinata let out a sigh. She's had over a month now and the thoughts that she'd lost any chances in life with Naruto still hurt a little. He was the very first boy she had feelings for after all and had the hopes that he'd notice her. She even hoped that her father would have approved given his status as the Hokage's son. But it was slowly getting easier now to come to terms with it. Kiba had done a lot to help her get over and accept it and truth be told, he was beginning to really grow on her.

"Better." she finally replied.

"I know you really liked him." he said with a compassionate smile. When he sat down and talked with her not long ago, she told him everything which was a big surprise given how shy and non talkative she really is. "But I'm proud that you're willing to take these steps and move forward." he told her.

"Thank you Kiba." she replied with a hopeful smile.

"Now come on, you wanna get something to eat?" he asked.

"Well, I am a little hungry." she replied shyly.

"Then come on. I know a great place that also allows dogs." he told her. "Come on Akamaru." he calls back to his ninken who was quiet and well behaved behind them.

Akamaru barked back and then followed his master to their next destination.

[Uchiha Compound]

Sasuke was currently back at his family's compound, walking down the streets after entering through the front gates. He walked with his hands in his pockets like he always did and had a very serious and hard look on his face. He pasted by other adults who were working or going about with their day as well as children playing games in the streets. Some of the people would notice him and greet him, welcoming him home and wishing him a nice day. He would respond by simply waving back or nodding his head in acknowledgement. A few of the younger children would come up and try to persuade their "Onii-San" as they would call him to play with them. He'd tell them he was busy and would keep walking, leaving several disappointed kids behind.

Before heading straight home, he would make a trip to one of his most important places to visit. There was in a small clearing with a memorial stone that was onyx colored and had the names of his parents on it. Written in cursive, it read _"In loving memory of Lord Fugaku Uchiha and the Lady Mikoto. Brave Heroes and treasured Friends to many. May their memories live on forever and in Glory"_. Over the years, Sasuke has made it a practice of stopping by to clean off the stone and then pay his respects to his beloved mother and father who he lost at a young age. He'd wipe off the dirt and leaves that would collect on the stone over time before standing quietly and in solidarity as his mind would travel back to the fateful day where he would have to say goodbye.

[Flash Back]

Hundreds have gathered outside on a rainy day, as if the very heavens themselves were weeping for the loss of life. Everyone who attended were dressed in black and stood quietly before a stage where two open caskets rested the bodies of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. Portraits of the young couple were presented next to their caskets which showed a proud and noble clan lord and his lovely young wife who's smile always looked so brightly. Up on the stage stood the Hokage and the village elders who were directing the funeral ceremony.

"Friends, today we are all here to mourn the tragic losses of dearly loved ones, pay our respects and say our final farewell to not only a respected Clan Lord and member of our Village Council, but also my Friends who's deaths I mourn bitterly." the Hokage began.

At the bottom of the stage and off to the side, Naruto stood with a sad look on his face as well because he too loved Mikoto. She was like an aunt he always wanted and was always very kind to him. Next to him was his mother Kushina who although was wearing a veil to conceal her face, it was clear that she too was crying bitterly for the loss of her friend who she'd known since she was in the academy and helped her raise her young son. There were many within the Uchiha who were crying as well, but none more so than Sasuke who was beside himself with grief and despair from losing his parents. His older brother Itachi, now the newly appointed Clan Lord, tried his best to comfort him as he cried for the loss of their parents.

"Itachi, why?" little Sasuke cried as the funeral ceremony proceeded. "Why would Shisui do this? I thought he was our friend. Why would he kill Mom and Dad?" he asked as he kept wiping the tears that were streaming down his cheeks away.

"I don't know Sasuke." he confessed. "I honestly don't know." he told him.

"But I thought he was our friend. Mom and Dad loved him too." he sobbed.

Itachi got down to his brother's level to hold and allow him to cry on his shoulder. "I did too Sasuke." he replied.

[End Flashback]

Sasuke continued to think on these things and was so deep in his memories, that he didn't notice the elderly man walk up behind him. He was startled when he heard his name spoken to him.

"Afternoon Sasuke-San." said the voice of the old Uchiha.

He looked behind to see a familiar old man with a cane walk up and stand by his side before the memorial stone. "Hello Elder Higuchi." he replied. "I hope you're doing well." he added.

"Quite fine, thank you young man." he replied. "Paying respects to the late Lord and Lady of our Clan are we?" he asked to which Sasuke nodded. "I understand. I like to come by and visit with them myself. Your Father was a friend of mine for many years and there are days when I really miss him and his leadership." he rambled.

Sasuke turned to the elderly Uchiha then. "Is Itachi home? I need to see him." he told him.

The old man smiled and nodded his head at that. "Indeed. He should be at his desk going over some important paperwork. You know how it is, being the Lord of our Clan has made him very busy these days. That boy works really hard." he commented as Sasuke walked.

[Sasuke's House]

Sasuke would enter and walk down the hallway to his brother's office and sure enough, he saw Itachi at his desk going over some important documents. The older brother looked up when he felt someone was there and smiled to see his younger sibling had come home.

"Sasuke, welcome home." he said, greeting his little brother warmly.

"Hey Itachi." he replied, walking up to the wooden desk that separated them both. "Itachi, I was wondering if we could have another training session together while there's some time in the day." he told him.

"Sasuke, we had our weekly training session a few days ago." he replied. "And didn't you just finish another training session with Kakashi and your team?" he asked him.

"I wanna continue." he answered. "I know it's only been a few days since our last training session, but I was hoping you could at least teach me something new to work on." he suggested.

"Sasuke, I can't right now. I'm very busy." he replied.

"Can you teach me something real quick?" he asked him again. "Perhaps a new Sharingan jutsu?" he suggested.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but I have a lot of work I'm in the middle of doing." he answered. "I'm not just the Lord of out Clan, but I'm also the Chief of the Anbu Black Ops and the Commissioner of the Konoha Police Force. I'm buried Sasuke and I just don't have the time." he explained.

"Please." Sasuke asked once more. "I need to get stronger." he added.

Itachi then got up from his chair and smiled before be brought his two fingers up to tap Sasuke's forehead. "I'm sorry Sasuke, perhaps another time." he told him before sitting back down.

Sasuke wasn't happy with that response and turned to head to the exit. "You always say "Perhaps another time" but another time rarely if ever comes Itachi." he said sounding a little angry.

Concerned he may have hurt his feelings, Itachi stood up from his chair again. "Sasuke..." he called but he was already out the door and headed to his room.

Itachi let out another sigh before sitting back down in his chair to continue his paperwork.

[Namikaze Compound]

Not long after they started, Naruto and his dad would dash off the clearing in their training grounds and carry the fight to the more wooded areas and were now on the branches on the trees. This however was the mistake on Naruto's part, letting Minato lure him into the more wooded areas of the fight where he could very easily gain the upper hand. Minato has been trying to teach his son that while raw power and skill are important in battle, you must be sure to apply strategy as well. Your opponent doesn't always have to be stronger than you to win the battle. If they can control the battlefield, they can win even against very powerful opponents. If Minato Namikaze controls the battlefield, then it's not a question of if but a matter of when he beats you.

Naruto was currently hiding within the leaves of the tree he was in and carefully looked around to locate his dad. He cursed himself for losing track of his dad when he wasn't supposed to and now he was hoping to find him first so he could continue the fight. Naruto should have realized that his dad was drawing him into a place where he would control the battle and now his only hope was to find his dad first and keep up a continuing offensive and keep his dad on the defense. He also had to locate any of his dad's special kunai knives which had the shiki seals on them because he knew that's how his Hiraishin No Jutsu worked. He was confident that he could still win, he just had to somehow regain control of the battlefield. He tried raking his head for ideas.

Naruto then heard the sound of an incoming projectile and dashed out from his hiding place just in time for a kunai to land where was only a moment ago.

'Damn!' he cursed to himself when he saw his dad appear instantly where the kunai was.

Minato then lunged for his son, ready to engage him in battle again. Naruto quickly recovered however and locked blades, kunai to ninjaken, before they split off from one another and landed on different branches of opposing trees. Naruto then took and stance and lunged forward, this time on the offensive to attack Minato. Minato did one front flip over him, dodging a swing at his legs before landing right behind Naruto. He then lunged forward himself to try and jab at him, only for Naruto to quickly block the attack from behind with his own blade. The younger boy then turned with another sideways slash only for his father to block it again with the blade of his kunai. Naruto then began a series of relentless slashes and stabs, actually forcing Minato on the defense.

Over the last couple of years, Naruto had developed a very unique form of swordsmanship that makes him an especially dangerous opponent to face. In Konoha, there are seven different sword fighting forms that someone can learn to use and apply in combat. Many swordsman learn two or even three and some of Konoha's greatest warriors were masters of these arts. Form one was a very aggressive fighting style which is where the user would take more offensive stances and applying powerful attacks in the hopes of keeping their opponent on the defensive and hopefully overwhelm them with strikes and blows meant to break through. Form two was actually the opposite, being less aggressive in battle and taking more defensive stances when engaged.

The key is to let your opponent wear themselves out by having them be the aggressor and then look for openings so you can apply a successful counter attack. Form three was considered a duelist art by learning to fight with more than one sword or weapon at a time while Form four was fighting against an enemy who used more than one weapon at a time. Now a less popular but still useful form was Form five which was designed to defend against projectiles thrown at you from a distance like kunai knives, shuriken and senbon needles by deflecting them. Form six was centered around fighting more than one opponent at a time by teaching the user to have a greater sense of their surroundings and how to react when facing more then one enemy in battle.

Finally, Form seven was considered another duelist art and was called the quick draw form. This was having your sword sheathed and then taking a stance while letting your enemy attack first. This was one of the most difficult forms to learn out of all of them because you had to draw your weapon, slash and cut your enemy down with a single strike before placing the blade back in it's scabbard and doing all of it in one motion. This was easily one of the most challenging forms to learn and took many years hard work and practice to get the techniques down and years longer to apply them in combat, but some of the best swordsman ever in the Hidden Leaf were masters of this form and their skills with a blade made them living legends in Konoha.

Naruto was inspired to become a swordsman because his mother was one of the best. Kushina had not only studied, but mastered four of these seven styles which made her famous in Konoha. Kushina explained to her son when he started out that it's a good idea to try and learn more than one style because if you can switch in between different styles during battle, you can confuse your opponents because your fighting style will be harder for them to read and counter attack. Naruto decided to take things a step further than his mother by actually studying all seven styles at once. His parents actually thought he was taking things a little too far, but were both surprised and very proud that he actually managed to pull it off and is able to use all seven styles.

But he also decided to take his dad's advice and not master any of these forms. Becoming a jack of all traits is one thing, but you shouldn't strive to master any form either. While there wasn't anything wrong with mastering the forms like his mother did when she started learning the sword, the problem with mastering a fighting style is you can no longer improve it because you've already reached your full potential in it. So Naruto decided to imply both lessons from his parents in his swordsmanship. He's studied and is able to apply all seven forms of kenjutsu in combat, but doesn't master any of them so he can only improve his skills. But not only can he switch in between any form any time, but he's also learned to blend two styles together as well.

This has made Naruto's swordsmanship especially difficult for someone to counter in combat, even for his dad. But this really isn't a surprise given that he is Konoha's most unpredictable ninja. This was why Naruto was able to force his dad back so easily. Minato wasn't able to read and react to his techniques as you would with someone who was using a single style of kenjutsu. It was pretty difficult to block and defend against Naruto's sword when he attacked because his kunai knives weren't as long so timing needed to be perfect. Eventually, Minato decided to change tactics and started dashing from branch to branch with Naruto having to try and close the gap. This was now Naruto having to adjust and adapt to the battlefield and on his dad's terms.

Naruto couldn't allow this to continue. If Minato gained control of the battlefield again, he was certain to lose the fight. He had to try and finish this quickly. Naruto threw a couple of shuriken at Minato, aimed at his feet. He was hoping that he'd force his father to take a different step in another direction and control where he was going so he could regain control of the fight once more. Naruto then thought he saw his opening and dashed forward with his blade pointed forward in a stabbing motion.

"I've got you now!" he shouted and thrust forward. Minato smiled before vanishing, resulting in Naruto getting his blade stuck in the trunk of the tree. "What?!" he shouted in shock.

He then felt his dad's blade tapping against his shoulder. "You did remarkably well Naruto." he complimented.

'How?' he thought. 'I don't remember him throwing any kunai in this area so there shouldn't be any shiki tags for him to use against me.' he thought. That was when he remembered his dad's front flip and realized that his dad did tap his shoulder once. He looked behind to see a shiki on his sword's scabbard. 'A Shiki. That means that Dad could have won this fight any time he wanted. Damn it.' he thought.

Both father and son were seated on the front porch of the house and were now enjoying something to drink. Minato could tell that Naruto wasn't really happy about the fact that he was the one who had complete control of the battlefield the whole time. He decided to try and cheer him up.

"Naruto, you should know that you did really good today." he told him. "Kakashi's lessons have really shown today because there were quite a few times where you almost got me." he said with a smile.

Naruto took a quick sip of his tea before responding. "But I didn't win." he grumbled.

"That's not important Naruto." his dad replied.

"Maybe not to you." he retorted. "But I was so sure that I was gonna win. I thought I was holding all the cards by keeping you on the defensive, staying away from any of the Shiki tags you had laid out so you couldn't sneak up on me and by regaining control of the battlefield." he listed.

"I know you did and I can't tell you in words how proud I am of you as a Father, seeing how far you've come." he told him while placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm certain one of these days, you'll succeed and I'll never get to hear the end of it." he said with a grin. Naruto still wasn't too sure and looked down in disappointment. He then felt his dad lightly squeeze his shoulder so he'd look back up to him. "Naruto, I feel I should tell you that you're just as strong as Kakashi was when he was your age. And that's something to be really proud of." he said which got him to smile back finally.

It didn't take long before they saw Kushina returning home and both of them smiled when she arrived.

"Welcome home my love." Minato greeted his lovely wife with.

"Hey Mom." said Naruto with a smile.

"How are my two favorite men?" she asked cheerfully.

"You should know that Naruto lasted much longer this time. I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before he becomes one of Konoha's most powerful ninja." he replied.

"I'm really happy to hear that." she replied. "Naruto, your Father and I were both hoping that you and Temari would be willing to come over for dinner tonight. Would the two of you like to do that?" she asked him.

"Sure, I'll tell Temari when I get back to the house." he replied.

"Actually, I've already spoken to Temari while I was out shopping. She's already agreed to come." she told him.

"Then I guess when I'm done here, I'll clean up and we'll see you again tonight." he told her.

"Good." she said before she sighed. "Naruto, I had another important talk with her while we were out shopping today." she told him.

Naruto's smiled dropped when he saw the seriousness on her face. "What kind of talk?" he asked her.

"She asked about the village's attitude towards you." she said sadly. "I think she's starting to catch on that there's an important secret you carry." she explained.

Naruto was quiet for a moment before responding with an "Oh." which was really saying that he didn't want to get into this.

He then felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to his dad. "Naruto, I think this is an important time to talk with Temari and explain the truth to her." he told him.

"I know...it's just..." he replied.

"Naruto, your Father is right." Kushina said, getting him to look back up to her. "I know this is a very painful and personal matter and we all agreed that it would be your secret to keep and yours only. But it's not good to keep secrets from people close to you. Especially those who you're gonna marry." she told him.

"I know you guys are right and I think it's something she would wined up figuring out later. But what if she hates me afterwards?" he asked, really worried that this will make her hate him and treat him differently from now on.

"I really wouldn't worry too much about it Naruto." said Minato. "Now, I wouldn't blame Temari if she was surprised and even a little scared at first, but she's also a very reasonable and intelligent young lady. I'm sure once you've explained everything to her, she'll understand." he told him.

"That's right." said Kushina. "And remember, a relationship is built on trust so this will be a very big step in your relationship with her. Do you understand?" she asked him.

"Yeah, you guys are right." he said getting back up. "It's better if she hears it from me then finding it out later from someone else or learning after the wedding." he told them. "I'm gonna go home and tell her the truth and hope I don't scare her too much." he finished.

"We could come with you if you want Naruto. Offer some emotional support." his father offered.

"I appreciate that Dad, but I got this." he replied with a thankful smile. "This is between Temari and I so I need to handle it." he told them.

"Naruto, your Father and I are very proud of you." Kushina said with her own hopeful smile.

"Thanks." he replied before walking off. "I'll see you guys again later tonight then." he called back while they waved.

Minato walked up to Kushina who leaned into him. "I really worry about our Son Minato." she said as he held her in his arms. "He shoulders too much for his age." she told him.

"More than anyone ever should." he replied. "I have no regrets for saving the village years ago when I did and I'd do it again if I had to. But there are days I can never forgive myself for forcing such a heavy burden on our child." he told her.

"I feel the same." she told him. "There are days I really wish things were different." she finished.

The both of them stood, holding one another as the sun began to slowly lower in the west. They then headed back to the house to make preparations for dinner with their son and future daughter in law. All the while, praying that the talk Naruto has with Temari goes smoothly and that she's willing to understand.

[Naruto And Temari's House]

It was the late afternoon now and Temari was arriving finally to her new house on the Namikaze compound. She really did admire and appreciate the design of the compound. It was very nice but not overbearing. She liked how Naruto's family decided to live more practically than other nobles would. She wasn't the sort who liked being all uptight all the time, even if she herself was taught how to carry herself like a high born lady. She would arrive at her house to see Naruto sitting and waiting on the front porch. She could tell that he wanted to talk to her which was good because she was hoping to speak with him as well. She first walked past him to put her groceries away before coming back out and sitting next to him on their deck.

The both of them were quiet for a moment, neither of them really knowing what to say yet. Temari wanted to ask, but she remembered that Kushina told her that what she was going to ask Naruto about was a very sensitive matter and wanted to approach the subject carefully. Naruto however was the one to speak first.

"Mom said you wanted to talk." he said, not looking where she sat but kept looking ahead.

"Yeah." she replied. "I wanted to ask you something that I've noticed since I arrived." she told him.

Naruto paused for a moment before speaking to her again. "And what did you notice when you arrived?" he asked.

"Naruto, I've seen how many people look at you and I've seen how some even treat you." she began. "Now, I've lived my life growing up as the Daughter of the Kazekage. While the respect that I received from my village was kinda forced, it was still respect. But I've noticed that many people look at you either in fear, or hatred. Why do they act the way they do?" she asked him. "I would have thought they would love you and respect you given who your parents are." she added.

"To better understand, I need to offer some context." he replied. "Have you heard the story of the Kyuubi No Kitsune who attacked our village thirteen years ago?" he asked her.

She paused for a moment, wondering why it was relevant but she nodded. "Yeah, the story is very well known, even in my village." she answered. "The Kyuubi attacked Konoha in a surprise attack that killed many people. The Hokage faced it in combat and against all odds, destroyed it and saved Konoha which only added to your Father's legend." she explained.

"Yeah, that's the story that got out but that's not the whole story." he replied.

"What more is there?" she asked.

"First of all, it wasn't a surprise attack." he started, turning to face her. "The Kyuubi was originally sealed away and managed to get free again. When it got free, it went on a rampage and killed many people, both ninja and civilians alike. And I would like to point out that you can't kill the Kyuubi. He's a Biju and therefore is impossible to kill. A Biju is a creature made entirely out of chakra which is why you can't kill it. You can dispel the chakra, but he will reform over time. It could weeks, months, even years. But in the end, his return is absolute. The only way to defeat a Biju like the Kyuubi is with a human sacrifice." he explained.

"Human sacrifice?" she asked him.

"The Biju must be imprisoned inside the body of a human sacrifice." he replied. "During the fight between my Dad and the Kyuubi, there was only one person who could fill that role. A newborn baby and just hours after his umbilical cord was cut. His body was chosen to be the prison of the Kyuubi No Kitsune." he told her.

"But who?" she asked. Naruto didn't answer but looked back to where he was looking before. Meanwhile, Temari was slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The attack happened thirteen years ago which is how old Naruto was. The people looked at him with fear and anger. It then finally dawned on her when she thought of her own little brother Gaara. She in shock stood back up while not taking her eyes off of Naruto. "You're...a Jinchuuriki." she finally said in disbelief.

"Mom was the previous host of the Fox before me." he confessed. "Someone forced the Kyuubi out of her, doing too much damage to the original seal so it couldn't be put back inside. Mom and Dad had no choice but to use me for the purpose of imprisoning the Kyuubi. It was not a decision they made lightly, but Dad was really hoping that everyone in the village would just understand and treat me like a hero for it. Instead, they came to hate and fear me the same way they do with all Jinchuuriki. I don't blame them really. The Kyuubi did kill a lot of people, including the previous Sandaime Hokage. But I just wish they would at least be nice to me, if even just out of respect for my Dad." he told her.

"I had no idea at all." she confessed, feeling really sorry for him since he had to go through that. She remembered growing up and seeing the way people reacted and treated Gaara and although her father forbade her and Kankuro from getting anywhere near him, she always had this longing to try and comfort him because she used to see how he would cry from being so lonely. She actually cared for her baby brother, even when she was afraid of him. She was wondering now what she could do or say to make Naruto feel better because he looked pretty sad now too.

"Do you hate me now Temari?" he asked which surprised her. "Are you gonna hate and fear me like everyone else now that you know the truth?" he asked her.

He got his answer when he felt her take him by the hand and brought him up to his feet to face her. "No, I won't." she answered. "I could no more hate or fear you than I would my own Brother. I know the difference between a Biju and the Jinchuuriki that imprisons them and I know you're not a monster or demon, even if many others do. You have nothing to fear from me and I'm grateful that you were willing to trust me with the truth, even if it was hard for you." she said with a smile and hoping that this would make Naruto feel better.

Naruto smiled back. He should have known she would understand because her brother Gaara was a Jinchuuriki as well. "Thank you Temari." he replied. "Y'know, you're the very first person I've ever told this to. I'm glad that it was you." he told her.

Temari smiled again before letting his hands go. "We need to get ready for dinner tonight Naruto." she told him. "Your parents have invited us and I'm sure it would be rude to keep them waiting." she explained.

"Well, I really don't wanna miss out on one of Mom's awesome dinners." he replied. That was when he noticed that there was someone waiting for him at the gates. Temari noticed as well and felt a little uneasy now, seeing him. "You go ahead and get ready first, I'll speak with him and meet you soon enough." he told her. It made sense to let her get her shower first because she would also need some time to pick out a dress to wear tonight as well as work on her hair and makeup. Naruto headed over to the gate of his fence to speak with the village elder who came to speak with him. "Good afternoon Danzo." he greeted the old war hawk.

The old man and leader of the Foundation nodded his head at the greeting he received from the Hokage's son. "It is good to see you again as well young man." he replied.

"Of course, you and I both know you're not really the sort for pleasantries." Naruto said while crossing his arms. "You wouldn't be coming over to my house unless you had something you wanted to talk about." he told him.

"I'm pleased that you wish to get straight to the point just as I do." he replied. "You're right, I have something very important to speak with you about. More specifically, about your future with the Kazekage's Daughter." he told him.

"And what did you have in mind?" he asked. Naruto was warned by his father that Danzo was a very dangerous man and not the sort of person you wanted as an enemy.

"I'm sure you know by now that you and Temari are expected to produce one child from your marriage which is custom in these political matters." he began. "I was hoping that you would consider letting me train your children when they are of age to begin their careers as Shinobi." he told him.

"No offense, but why would you wanna train any children that Temari and I have and why would we agree to this?" he asked him. "I would have thought that Temari and I would be training our own children for the future." he told him.

"I'm not against you training them mind you." he replied. "But I was hoping you would at least take it into consideration given that your Father and I were the one's who made changes to the original proposal from Suna for the marriage. Did you know in their original proposal, they wanted you two to be wed on the day of her arrival and that you were to have Temari conceive a child on the night of your wedding?" he asked him.

Naruto's brows raised in surprise at that. "I didn't know that." he confessed.

"Minato and I convinced them to hold off on the wedding for another three months because he and I both knew that you were both gonna need some time to adjust to the idea." he began. "And even I know that you are both too young to start raising children, but you both will have to provide a child soon after you're married." he told him.

"How much time will we have?" he asked him.

"Thee years." he answered. "If Temari hasn't had a child by then, she must at the very least be able to confirm that she is with child." he added. "You both should also know that they wanted your first born Son to be married back into Suna once he came of age. Minato and I suggested that instead, we'd give your first born child the option of choosing his or her academy, whether or not they wish to be trained in konoha or Suna. Unless of course, you and Temari wish to have me train your children instead." he finished.

"I take it you've already spoken to Temari about this?" he asked him.

"I had the same conversation with her earlier today." he answered. "I wanted both of you to be fully aware of your options. If you should choose to let me train your children in the Shinobi arts, I will offer them only the finest training and education. More so than either of your academies could offer." he finished.

"I would like to talk to Temari about it first." he replied. "I'll take the time to think about it and perhaps we'll consider it, but I can't make any promises on our behalf."

"I'll accept that." he replied, sounding pleased that this conversation was going as well as it did. "I hope you and Temari will take my offer to heart. In the meantime, I hope the two of you are getting along." he told him.

"She and I are doing fine. We're actually getting ready for dinner with my Parents tonight." he explained.

"Then I will take my leave. Good evening." he said before turning and leaving Naruto to think on what he said.

Naruto would enter the house right around the time Temari had finished her shower so he would jump in to get clean as well. The both of them would get ready quickly so they could make it on time to Minato and Kushina's for dinner. They both put on some nice yet casual outfits and Temari put her hair back up with some makeup which made her look very nice. Then they would be on their way.

[Minato And Kushina's House]

Minato sat comfortable on the couch while Kushina was in the kitchen and working on her latest master piece. She was excited that they were coming over and she was really hoping that things were turning out okay for Naruto and Temari because they were gonna have to talk about the Kyuubi. She had faith that things were gonna turn out okay and that she would understand but that didn't keep her from worrying. Not long before dinner was ready, they heard a knock and Minato offered to get it.

He opened it up and smiled at who was there. "Hey you two, I'm glad that you were able to make it." he said to his son and future daughter in law.

Temari was wearing a very nice black dress with a gold trim that went just below her knees and her hair was tied back into a simple but stylish bun. Her makeup made her look very pretty and exotic which was what she was aiming for. Naruto's hair was nicely styled into a messy spiky look with hair gel which he managed to pull off very nicely. He was wearing a white dress shirt with blue dress pants and jacket.

"It's very nice to see you again as well Minato." replied Temari as he invited them in.

Kushina heard them enter and poked her head out from the kitchen to see them and smile. "Naruto, Temari hi!" she beamed. "Please, go ahead and make yourselves comfortable while I finish up." she told them.

"Here, let me offer a hand." Temari replied as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Oh, you don't need to do that Temari, you're the guest." she told her.

"I really don't mind at all and I would like to talk." she replied. "Let's give the boys some time to themselves." she added as she entered with Kushina to help her get ready.

Naruto and Minato stepped off into the living room to talk while the ladies finished up in the kitchen and were setting the table.

"I take it then that you and Temari talked about your situation?" Minato asked as he took his seat.

"Yeah." he replied, sitting on the love seat.

"How did she take it?" he asked him. Minato thought that Temari looked like she was fine, but he was still a little concerned about the relationship his son was having with her.

"She took it really well." he replied with a smile. "She was surprised sure, but she didn't react badly to it at all. You were right Dad, Temari was willing and able to understand and I'm glad I was able to trust her with the truth." he told him.

"Good, I'm happy for you both." he said with another satisfied grin.

"Dad." Naruto said, changing the subject and putting on a more serious face. "Before we got ready to come over tonight, I was visited by Danzo. He had a very interesting subject to discuss. The same thing he said he spoke to Temari about." he told him.

Minato's smile vanished and he too became very serious. "Please, tell me everything." he requested.

In the other room, Kushina and Temari were finishing up with getting all the food set up properly on the table with the plates and cutlery set out as well. Temari had finished explaining that she and Naruto had just finished talking about his status as the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki.

"I had no clue that he had to go through something like that." she confessed to the red head. "It must have been very hard on the both of you, having to put such a heavy burden on your child." she told her.

"There are days we really hate ourselves for having to do it." she confessed sadly. "The Hokage's duties are placed above everything else, but not a day goes by where Minato and I wish that things could have been different. No matter how selfish it may sound." she said, thinking about how hard Naruto's childhood was at times, even with the both of them there to help. She didn't even want to think about how bad things would be for Naruto if she and Minato weren't there for him. She then turned and smiled at the young blonde girl. "But I can't tell you how much it means to me to know that my Son was able to find in you someone he was able to trust with his most carefully guarded secret." she told her.

"Naruto told me I was the very first person he ever told who didn't already know." she replied with her own small grin. "I'm glad I was able to win his trust." she told her.

"So am I." Kushina replied.

Once they were finished setting the table, all four of them sat down to begin eating. Minato and Kushina sat on one side next to one another while Naruto sat with Temari on the other side. They all enjoyed the very nice and well prepared meal as always. Temari was seriously gonna need to ask Kushina for some of her recipes and some tips in the kitchen because she thought that her cooking was incredible. Everything from the meat and vegetables right down to the rice would simply melt away within your mouth. The flavor itself was great, but not too strong or overbearing which she was able to appreciate. It wouldn't take long at all before they had finished their meals with everyone satisfied as always with Kushina's amazing work.

"Wonderful as always Honey." said Minato as he sat back in his chair and with an empty plate before him.

"That was great Mom." said Naruto with his hands over his stomach.

"And how about you Temari, you enjoyed your meal I hope?" she asked her.

"Yes, everything was delicious." she replied. Like Naruto's cooking, Kushina's mastery over the culinary arts satisfied her so that she didn't feel stuffed, but knew she wouldn't be hungry again until later or until the next morning.

"Great, now if everyone would please head over to the living room, there's one more thing we have to do tonight." she said getting up.

"Uh, like what?" Naruto asked her as she headed to her bedroom.

"You'll see." she chimed.

Minato sat in his lone chair while Naruto and Temari sat on the sofa, both on the left and right side and leaving the middle unoccupied. "Any idea what your Mother wants?" Temari asked him to which he only shrugged his shoulders.

That was when Kushina reentered the room. "I am so glad that we're all here tonight." she said with a big and happy smile.

"Mom, what's this all about?" Naruto asked with a brow raised. He got his answer much to his horror when she lifted up her photo album. "No." he pleaded.

"Yes!" she cheered as she came over and sat between both blondes. "We're gonna be going through Naruto's baby pictures!" she said as she opened it up.

Temari smiled as Kushina directed her attention to the pictures while Naruto turned to his father. "Dad, please make her stop!" he shouted as he started blushing.

"Oh come on Naruto, it's not gonna be so bad." he replied as he sat back to watch what would unfold.

"Now if you look here, this picture was taken when Naruto was one day old." she told her.

"Awwwww." replied Temari as she marveled at the picture of Kushina who held the teeny tiny blonde baby in her arms.

"Oh, this one is one of my favorites." she continued. "I had Minato give Naruto his very first bath in a newborn baby tub and goodness did Naruto cry. All his Daddy was doing was washing him with warm water and Naruto was practically screaming bloody murder." she told her. Twenty minutes in and Naruto hated this. "And here is Naruto's first birthday." she said, pointing to a picture of Naruto in his booster seat. "He got so messy from smearing chocolate cake all over himself." she chuckled which got Temari to laugh as well. "And this was a picture Minato took of us after the party. I decided to give him a quick bath in the sink and we both thought this moment was too cute to pass up." she told her.

Naruto looked over to his dad looking miserable. "Dad...help." he pleaded.

"Come on Naruto, how bad do you really think it is?" he asked him. He got his answer when his son held up a little doodle he drew of him hanging himself from a tree. "Be strong Son, your Mother's almost done." he told him.

Apparently, almost done was actually a full hour. Once they were done, Naruto quickly grabbed his coat and headed to the door. He was still a little crossed about the pictures but he was glad that they were finally done. Once everyone said their goodbyes, Naruto would walk Temari home from here. She noticed his face and thought she'd try and cheer him up.

"Come on Naruto, you can't really think it's that bad can you?" she asked him.

"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who's had all your embarrassing photos shown to someone else like that." he retorted. "How would you feel if someone just showed me all of your embarrassing childhood stories?" he asked her back.

"I suppose I get where you're coming from. But fortunately for me, I'll never have to worry about that because I have nothing embarrassing to be exposed." she bragged.

"Oh really?" Naruto asked with a mischievous look. "I'll be sure to ask Kankuro and Gaara next time I see em to see if that's true." he told her.

"You're more than welcome to try. But I doubt they could tell you anything at all." she said with a confident face.

"Sure Temari." he said with his hands behind his head.

"Come on. We have another big training day with Kakashi Sensei tomorrow and we'll need plenty of rest before then." she told him.

Both of them would get home, get dressed and go to sleep not long after that. Both of them wondering what the next day would have in store for them.

[Author's Notes] Once again, I managed to reform and rewrite another chapter and I'm personally pleased with how this one turned out. I didn't change a whole lot with only really changing the writing style and slightly lengthening it.

As always, hope you enjoyed it, please leave a Review or a PM.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	10. A Change Of Style

[Otogakure]

There was a lone individual who was standing in the middle of what looked like some kind of arena and he looked a little winded from a fight earlier. All around him, there were bodies of his enemies who he had slain in battle. This was a common practice for ninja among the Sound Village. Ninja who wanted to advance themselves in rank and status would often fight one another to the death in a huge free for all so they could prove they were the fastest, strongest and smartest. After all, Orochimaru would settle for nothing but the best in whom would serve him. The man in the middle stood there while bodies were taken away where they'd be discarded later on or even be used in Orochimaru's experiments. It was then he saw his lord and village leader enter the room to speak with him.

"Orochimaru-Sama?" asked the lone shinobi to his lord who was now standing before him.

"First of all, congratulations on your brilliant performance just now." he said with his cold and dark sneer.

"Thank you Orochimaru-Sama." he replied. "How may I be of service to you?" he asked.

That was when he felt a dark and terrible chill run down his spine as his eyes met Orochimaru's eyes. He could feel his master looking into his soul and knew what he really wanted from him.

"Now, since you're willing to make this sacrifice I will grant you one wish and if it's within my power to grant it, then it's yours." he promised.

The shinobi realizing that that his fate was sealed took a deep breath before responding. "For many years now, you've used my Clan in many of your experiments and jutsu development. I ask that you free them." he told him.

"Granted." said Orochuimaru. "Once this is done, they will all be set free and I promise that they shall no longer be used in my research. This will be the trade off now that you're willing to let me have your body." he said before licking his lips.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

In a camera room, Kabuto Yakushi watched as Orochimaru used his jutsu to take possession of his body. 'And so it is done.' he thought. 'Orochimaru's Immortality Jutsu has been used now so it'll be two or three years before he can use it again.' he said to himself. 'Now I need to make preparations for the surgeries so that his new body will have all the necessary modifications to serve his needs.' he thought as he headed off to the ER where he'll begin his work which will take many hours of surgeries for his master.

In Otogakure, there were many such labs so that Orochimaru would have everything he needed for his research. Rather than just being one village in one location, Oto was actually dozens of different bases all over the Land of Rice. This way, if any bases were under attack it wouldn't be hard for them to send reinforcements and launch a counter attack against an invader. Each base had a barracks with hundreds of ninja ready for duty and for their master's orders. There was a top notch communications network they had set up and a special head quarters set up so Orochimaru would have everything he needed no matter which base he was staying at. He also made sure never to stay in any single base for too long and never have a set pattern for which one he would move to next.

[Konoha Market]

Kiba and Hinata were enjoying a nice lunch together and Kiba had just finished telling Hinata a funny story which got her to giggle. The truth was, Hinata was very happy to be in Kiba's company. They've been going out together after training for over a month now and he's worked wonders in making her feel better. When the Fourth Hokage told everyone that Naruto was gonna marry Temari, it broke her little heart. She actually spent many nights crying herself to sleep over losing any chances she had at being the one for him. She even lost some weight do to not being able to eat because of her depression. Of course, she had to be very careful not to let her father know because he wouldn't approve of her showing such weakness and would have to lecture her about the strength of the Hyuuga.

But these days though, it's been a whole lot more manageable. There were some days where it still hurt sure, but she's been making great progress in acepting the reality of it and being able to move forward. She's even able to start eating regularly and train harder just like before. Furthermore, she's been developing feelings for Kiba. He's worked wonders on helping her feel better and has been a really good friend. She was actually starting to have hope in finding love again.

"I'm telling you Hinata-Chan it's true." he said grinning as he watched her laugh which he thought was adorable. "The guy walks in after a skirmish only for the Doc to yank a porcupine quill out of his ass!" he laughed. "I mean, the guy's survived multiple battles and the first time he goes to the hospital it's because he sat down on a porcupine by accident while answering Nature's Call." he finished.

"Kiba-Kun, that's so funny. Where'd you hear this from?" she asked him.

He had a smug grin on his face when she asked him. "From my Mom." he answered. "The guy was under her command when-" he was cut off when Hinata started to panic.

"Oh my goodness! I'm late!" she freaked.

"Late for what Hinata-Chan?" he asked her.

"For a Clan meeting that we're having today." she answered as she stood back up. "Thank you so much for taking me out again Kiba-Kun, but I'm afraid that I have to go now." she told him.

"Wait a minute Hinata-Chan." replied Kiba, getting her to turn to him. "Let me walk you back." he offered with a smile.

"Oh...um...that's okay Kiba-Kun, you don't have to do that." she said with her hands up. "Thank you though." she told him with a smile.

"It's alright, I don't really mind." he replied with a smile. "Besides, I want to walk you back." he told her.

"Um, okay then." she said as they walked together. It didn't take long at all for them to arrive at the Hyuuga compound. Hinata then turns to Kiba when they see the front gates. "Well we're here Kiba-Kun. Thank you so much." she said as she tried to leave him behind.

She then felt him take hold of her hand to stop her. "Hinata-Chan, did I do something wrong?" he asked her.

"What?" she asked, turning back to him. "No of course not." she replied.

"Then why does it feel like you're trying to get rid of me?" he asked her.

"I'm not trying to get rid of you Kiba-Kun." she said, trying not to offend him. "It's just that-" she began before she was cut off.

"Hinata!" they both heard before turning to see her father Hiashi Hyuuga.

"Father?!" she asked, turning to see him with a disappointed look on his face.

"You're late." he replies.

"I'm very sorry Father." she said with a bow. "I'll head inside and get dressed and ready for our meeting right away." she promises.

"Very good." he replies before looking to see Kiba. "Hello Kiba." he greets politely.

"It's good to see you Hiashi-Sama." said Kiba.

"I've noticed lately that you've been spending a lot of time with my Daughter." he said as an observation.

"Oh yeah. That's because Hinata-Chan and I are-" he was about to answer before he was cut off.

"Friends!" she says over him. "Kiba-Kun and I are really good friends now. Even best friends." she tells him.

"I see." Hiashi replies. "Very well, now come along Hinata." he says as he turns to head inside.

There was a quiet moment between them before Hinata turns to Kiba. "Um, I'm sure you want an explanation Kiba-Kun." she says only to see a confused look on his face.

"What was all that about?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Um, well, I didn't know how Father would have reacted knowing that you and I are dating." she confessed.

"How he would react?" he asked back. "Why would it be such a bad thing if you and I are dating? Is it because he wouldn't approve? Are you afraid that he wouldn't think I'm good enough?" he asked back.

"No, Kiba-Kun it's not that." she answers. "I'm just not sure how to tell him." she told him.

"And that's why you lied to him in front of me." he said, looking a little angry now. "Do I embarrass you Hinata-Chan?" he asked her.

"No!" she freaked, worried that she chose her words very poorly. "I'm just not sure Father would...um..." she said, stumbling over her words and wondering how to defuse the situation.

"Oh no, I get it." he said now getting really angry. "Your Dad wouldn't approve of us because I'm from the Inuzuka Clan and he probably doesn't think that me or any of my kin are Hyuuga material. He probably doesn't think we're good enough." he finished.

"No, Kiba-Kun please!" she begged, reaching to take his hand only for him to pull away from her.

"You know what? I'll see you around later." he grumbles before calling Akamaru to him as they both walk away.

"Kiba-Kun, will please just let me explain?" she called to him as he turned and started walking away.

"Forget it!" he shouted back without even turning to look at her.

"Kiba-Kun, please come back." she begs only for him to keep walking. "Please?" she begs again with a sob. "Kiba-Kun please come back." she pleads as tears roll down her cheeks. She was now afraid that he was really mad at her. She even feared that he may wanna break up with her.

[Team 7 Training Ground]

Training that day was a lot like any other day but everyone was pleasantly surprised to see that Kakashi was actually on time for a change. This meant that the five of them could bump up their training schedule a whole hour. The first hour would be teamwork in battlefield combat with Naruto creating an army of Kage Bunshin and having them attack his team from several different angles at once. (Temari still couldn't get where Naruto got all the chakra and the stamina to make so many clones all at once.) The clones would attack and Kakashi would direct his team to defend, attack and counter attack at certain points while they were under attack as well as offer relief to a teammate who was getting overwhelmed. He was pleased to see they had improved in their teamwork.

After that, Kakashi would break them up into pairs based on sex for one on one combat. This was something he was glad to have a fifth member for the team for and her being another girl. In the past, he had to watch Naruto and Sasuke while they spared with Sakura so as not to hurt her too badly and he could tell that the boys also weren't too comfortable with getting real physical with Sakura. He was glad that Sakura now had another girl to work with on hand to hand combat because she's been needing help in the field for a while and having Temari who was not only female but also older and more experienced would be very beneficial to helping Sakura develop her fighting skills. It also gave her a chance to get to know her new teammate better which was great for team building.

While Temari and Sakura would spar, so would Naruto and Sasuke. Kakashi would supervise both matches of course to be sure that neither of them would risk an injury that would impede on anyone's abilities for future missions. This was constant because a ninja had to be ready to go on a mission at the drop of a hat because you never knew when the Hokage would summon you to his office and send you and your team off on another mission. This new system of having both pairs spar based on sex proved very effective for Kakashi to analyze where his students needed to improve and where their strengths were at. He noticed that Sakura was executing the forms but hadn't quite got them down while Temari who was good at Taijutsu wasn't as used to fighting up close and personal.

He had a feeling that Temari's sparing sessions with Sakura would really improve her own skills in combat, not just her teammate's which was something that he was glad to see. And then there was Naruto and Sasuke. Both boys were very strong and very skilled in fighting. This actually didn't surprise him at all given that Naruto was being tutored by both his own parents while Sasuke received personal training from his brother Itachi. So fighting techniques weren't as much a concern for Kakashi that they had for them. His problem was that both boys had very conflicting personalities which would drive them a little too far. Naruto was a very competitive person while Sasuke had a real high and mighty attitude towards his teammates. He had to watch them real closely whenever they spared.

After an hour or so of that, they focused on Ninjutsu training. Kakashi would work with Sasuke and Sakura on this one because he did have some knowledge in both fire and water style jutsus. However, his real strength was in lightning because that was his main chakra affinity. Sasuke's was both fire and lighting but that was because he was born to the Uchiha Clan who carried a Kekkei Genkai in their bloodline. It was only natural for them to pass on two chakra affinities down the generations and always exclusively fire and lightning. He was able to help both Sasuke and Sakura with learning their main chakra affinities, despite his limitations thanks to his Sharingan and how many jutsus he's copied over the years. So far, the both of them have been doing fine.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Temari split off from them to work on jutsus together. This seemed to be the best because both of them had wind as their main chakra affinity. Naruto hadn't really had a chance to learn how to summon and use his wind chakra because neither of his parents were skilled in that field and of course wind was an uncommon affinity for anyone to have in Konoha or even in the Land of Fire in general. Temari being on Team Seven was now a great opportunity for Naruto to learn how to use wind chakra. She was not only a fellow wind user like him but also skilled in many powerful wind style jutsus too. Kakashi was confident that training with Temari would really improve Naruto's own skills as a shinobi as well as build a bond of companionship between him and his bride.

Naruto was currently sitting across from Temari with his hands held out in front of him while she watched. In his hands were several pieces of paper that were cut into the shapes of diamonds. This training exercise was to help Naruto first learn how to tap into his wind chakra. She told him that he will have mastered the first step once he can get all the pieces of paper in his hands to start spinning like pinwheels. So far, he sat there in front of her for over and an hour and the pieces of paper haven't even budged. Finally, Naruto had enough.

"Damn it!" he cursed before slamming his fist into the ground.

"Naruto you need to try and relax." said Temari with her arms crossed. "You'll never get anywhere if you're all tense and unable to loosen up a bit." she told him.

"I'm...trying." he replied, gritting his teeth while focusing really hard on the paper with a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.

"But you're not relaxing though." she said while watching him. "It's good that you're able to concentrate which is a part of it, but you're not relaxing and that's what's crippling your ability to tap into your wind chakra." she told him.

"I know." he said hanging his head. "And I'm sorry if this is getting on your nerves too, but this is so frustrating. Up until now I've been able to learn everything in almost record time." he told her. "I learned the Kage Bunshin which is a Jonin level technique in just one night and I made Mom and Dad real proud when I broke Jiraiya's record and learned the Rasengan in just one month. It took Dad three years to develop and master that jutsu and even Jiraiya took a whole year before he mastered it. So why is it so hard for me to learn wind style jutsus?" he asked.

Temari took a second to think on that before responding. "Maybe you're better suited for shape manipulation than wind affinity." she told him. "Everybody has something that they're better in some areas and not as much in others. For example, I'm better with wind style jutsu and long range combat but I'm not the best at shape manipulation or close quarter combat like you or Sasuke are." she explained. "But please don't let that get you down." she continued. "Just because you have difficulty in this field of training doesn't mean that it's impossible for you to learn it. It's just gonna require more hard work and a little extra patience but I'm sure you can do it." she told him.

Naruto gave a sigh at that. "Patience isn't my strongest suite." he replied.

"I have faith in you." she said grinning. "Now let's try again and this time, try to relax." she told him. She watched as Naruto tried again and still got nothing. "You're still not relaxing Naruto." she commented which got him to sigh again in frustration. That was when she got another idea. "Naruto, I would like for you to try something a little different this time." she said, getting him to look back up at her.

"Like what?" he asked.

"It's a little trick I know." she answered. "It's the same trick I used to learn how to tap into my own wind chakra back home in Suna." she explained. "What I do when I wanna tap into my wind chakra for a jutsu and try and imagine a gentle breeze and try to picture it flowing through me and all around me." she told him. Temari watched as he closed his eyes and tried to imagine the same thing she described to him. "Remember, elemental chakra isn't the same as chakra shape manipulation. You can't force it, you can only let it flow through you and guide it." she told him. Naruto was really trying to think about how she described it and soon was really deep in thought as he pictured the wind flowing through and around him. He almost jumped when he heard her say "Naruto."

"I heard you Temari, I'm trying." he replied, still focusing on the image she told him to think of.

"Naruto." she said again.

"I'm trying to concentrate Temari, please." he said, still not opening his eyes.

"Naruto." she said a third time which finally got him to open his eyes.

"Temari I heard you and I'm trying but I just can't get the-" he was cut off when she held up one of her fingers and pointed.

"Look." she said grinning.

Naruto looked and was surprised to see the little pieces of paper in his hands swirling around in a mini tornado while they spun like pinwheels. He was then reaching a whole new level of excitement at his newest achievement.

"Temari look! I'm doing it!" he shouted with glee. "I'm a Wind User!" he proudly proclaimed.

"I knew you had it in you." she said which showed she wasn't surprised. This meant that she knew he could do it the whole time.

"Can you start teaching me some cool wind style jutsus now?" he asked standing back up.

"Not so fast." she said standing to her full height as well. "You've managed step one so now comes the really tricky part. Now you'll have to pass step two and that's way harder than what you've done just now." she explained.

The pieces of paper in Naruto's hand stopped spinning and fell down the moment he heard that and both his arms fell to his side. "Awww man." he groaned with a slightly defeated look. This was gonna get a lot more challenging from here on out. He could tell.

[With Kiba]

Kiba wasn't having a good day at all. It had been several hours now since he and Hinata had their spat and he's felt awful about it. He went on a couple of errands his mom asked him to take care of for her with the hopes he could just let it go but he still couldn't forget how upset he made Hinata. He also went for a nice long walk with Akamaru and it was fun for a bit when they dashed from branch to branch as they marked their territory but he wasn't fully into it. The whole scene where he got mad at her for lying in front of him and how that quickly escalated into a fight played over in his head the whole time he was walking his dog. Now he was just sitting on his front porch with Akamaru by his side and petting him with a totally bummed out expression. He felt pretty rotten right now.

Akamaru noticed this too and looked up to bark once to his master.

"No buddy, I'm not feeling so good." he told him. The little dog barked again in response to which he replied "I can't stop thinking about what happened between me and Hinata-Chan. I mean, I know she lied to her Dad about us not being boyfriend and girlfriend and she did that because she was afraid of how he'd react. And yeah, it hurt but I think I definitely overreacted." Akamaru barked up a third time at that. "I'm not sure buddy. She may want to break up with me now since I really hurt her feelings. Even if I did feel hurt by her lying to her Dad, that doesn't make it right for me to hurt her back. And now I think this will be the end of our relationship." he told him to which Akamaru whined a bit in response. "Yeah buddy, I really liked her too. Kami I really can be an idiot sometimes." he replied.

Kiba would hang out on the front porch for a little while longer before he figured that it was time for him and Akamaru to go back in the house. His mom would be home in a few hours and he had to help his sister with chores around the house before she got back.

[With Hinata]

There was an important meeting going on at the very moment among the members of the Hyuuga Clan. Such meetings were held regularly to update everyone on daily issues that would concern the clan, making sure everyone was caught up on important news involving the village as well as negotiating tactics when dealing with members of other clans. While various members talked with one another, Hiashi Hyuuga sat upon a high position looking over the clan so he could hear them all clearly and so they could all hear him loud and clear whenever he spoke. To his left and right sat both his young and lovely daughters Hinata and Hanabi Hyuuga. Shortly after the meeting began, he noticed that his eldest child seemed distracted. In fact, she even looked very distraught about something.

That was when he turned to everyone else in the clan. "It's been a few hours now and I think this would be a decent time for a brief recess." he announced which got everyone to look to him. "Take a few minutes to collect yourselves and then we'll pick up where we left off." he told them with everyone bowing their heads once they were excused. He then turned his attention to his eldest child. "Hinata, I would like to speak with you for a moment. In private." he told her.

Hinata followed her father outside where he closed the door behind them. "You wanted to speak with me alone Father?" she asked him.

"What's troubling you Hinata?" he asked her back.

"Troubling me?" she asked. "But I'm not-" she began before he interrupted.

"Hinata, I know you haven't been paying much attention since the meeting started and I've seen your expression all throughout." he said calmly yet sternly. "I will not tolerate lying so I want the truth right now young Lady. Why are you troubled?" he asked her.

She was quiet for a moment before responding. "Father, you're right. I've been thinking about Kiba-Kun." she told him.

"...What about him?" he asked, still waiting for an explanation.

"Father, I lied to you." she confessed. "When you came out to speak with us, I told you that Kiba-Kun and I were only friends. But that wasn't the truth at all. Kiba-Kun and I are...are boyfriend and girlfriend." she told him.

"I see." he said, not actually expecting that. "But why would you lie to me about that?" he asked her.

"I was scared." she replied. "I thought that you wouldn't have approved of Kiba-Kun and I, um, well, dating." she said with a slight blush. That was when she was starting to break down. "But now I think I've messed everything up. When you left, Kiba-Kun got mad. We had a fight and he ran off. I...I feel like he may wanna break up with me." she said as she started crying.

"Well you're right about one thing Hinata. I certainly don't approve of your choice in who you want to date and I'm deeply disappointed in you." he said which only seemed to upset her even more. "However, I'm more disappointed in you for your actions. You've brought shame and dishonor to yourself by lying to Kiba and since you're my Daughter, you've brought shame and dishonor upon the Clan as well. I want you to find Kiba and apologize to him." he told her.

"Father?" she asked him, stopping herself from crying.

"You heard me." he replied. "Go find Kiba, apologize and if he accepts your apology, I would like you to bring him back here so we can lay down ground rules for dating." he instructed.

She was surprised by that. But she smiled hopefully and bowed her head before running off to find Kiba. "Thank you Father!' she called back to him.

'That Girl needs to work on her confidence.' he thought before heading back to his house. 'So, Kiba Inuzuka. Tsume's young Son.' he said to himself with a small smile. 'Not my first choice, but she could have picked worse. He's certainly rough around the edges but I'm sure that overtime we can smooth out those rough ridges and shape him into something more acceptable. Still, I think this would be a good time to polish and sharpen that Hyuuga Family Katana.' he thought before returning to the meeting.

[With Naruto And Temari]

Shortly after they had finished their training sessions and Kakashi gave them permission to leave, they both headed back to the village. Naruto wanted to head on down to Ichiraku's for another bowl of their ramen but Temari instead had him follow her to the market district. She brought him to a clothing store and he was now in a changing room after she picked a few articles of clothing and gave them to him. She stood and waited while he got dressed inside the room.

"So why am I doing this again?" he asked her from inside the changing room while he took off his old jacket.

"I saw this a couple of days ago while out shopping and I wanted to see how you would look in it." she replied from the other side of the door. "Is that so bad?" she asked putting a hand on her hip.

"Not really." he replied while taking off his trousers. "I'm just not the kinda guy who's too much into cloths, y'know?' he said while putting on the cloths she gave him. Once he had finished getting dressed, he stepped out to see her. "How do I look?" he asked.

Temari smirked as she looked him over. "Look in the mirror and see for yourself." she replied.

Naruto looked and was surprised to see that he actually liked what he saw. Naruto was now wearing a blue jacket with a white trim on the end of the sleeves and down the middle where the zipper was. It also had an orange stripe that ran across his chest and the swirly red design on the back which was a common mark worn by Konoha ninja. He wore a pair of white trousers that went really well with the coat and a new Hitai Ate with white cloth instead of blue which perfected the look. Temari watched as he turned from side to side as he looked himself over in the mirror. He noticed that there were several pockets which were perfect for keeping his ninja tools and gear and he loved how the colors were bright and stylish but not overbearing which actually looked much better then his old outfit.

"I gotta admit, I really like it." he said with a big grin. "I can definitely see myself wearing this for many missions to come and I'll bet Mom and Dad are gonna like it as well." he added.

"I agree." she said with a satisfied smile. "I think it looks very good on you Naruto." she said which got him to blush a bit from the compliment. 'I'm also glad that I was able to get him out of something that had so much orange.' she thought to herself.

Once Naruto had bought the outfit, he stuck around while Temari picked out a few more casual outfits for herself. He noticed that she was really into short skirts and learned that her favorite colors were purple and green. She thought while he was there she would ask his opinion on the dresses and actually modeled a few of them for him. Naruto had to do his best not to blush too red when she'd come back out from the changing room because he thought she actually looked really pretty in those dresses. Once they were done, Naruto offered to help her carry some of her new cloths which she was grateful for. So both blondes would walk out of the store with several bags of cloths each and make their way through the market district. Temari was quite satisfied with her haul of new cloths.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" Naruto asked his young bride. "We have the rest of the day to ourselves." he told her.

Temari remembered something she was meaning to ask him now that he bought it up. "Actually, I've been wanting to ask you if there were any nice cafes near by." she answered. "I've been hoping to find a place where I can get a nice cup of coffee after a days worth of training or after returning from a mission." she told him.

Naruto smiled at that. "Actually, I do know a decent place that makes good coffee." he replied. "Come with me, I'll show you." he said, offering to lead the way.

Temari smiled back and followed her future husband to the cafe he mentioned and was glad when he said it wasn't too far. She was looking forward to sitting back down and relaxing with a nice hot cup of her favorite beverage.

[With Kiba]

Back on the Inuzuka Compound, Kiba was home now and in his dining room while moping and feeling really down about himself while Akamaru slept comfortably on his head. His mom wasn't at the house at that very moment. Tsume was away at a meeting with the Hokage and the rest of the village council so Kiba was home alone with his older sister Hana. Hana was currently in the kitchen and getting dinner ready for tonight. Hana did a lot of the cooking since they were both raised by a single mother who was away most of the nights doing clan business. So Hana would prepare a lot of the meals for everyone most nights since they didn't want to rely on eating fast food all the time. As ninja, a healthy diet and a home cooked meal was very important for a successful career.

But the Inuzuka heiress noticed her brother's mood and finally decided to address it. "Alright Little Brother." she said turning around to face him. "Why are you so down? What's up?" she asked him.

"It's Hinata-Chan and I." he said turning his head to face her. "We ran into her Dad today." he told her.

"Oh?" she replied while taking a seat at the table. "And how did that go?" she asked him.

"Hinata-Chan lied to him while we were talking." he answered. "She told him that we were only friends and that we weren't dating." he explained.

"i see." she replied.

"So then I got mad at her." he continued. "I told her that if she was really ashamed of us then she could have just said so. After that, I stormed off and left her behind without even looking back once." he finished.

"And how do you feel about it now?" she asked him.

"Awful." he relied. "I mean, it hurt that she would lie like that and I really wish she would have told him the truth right then and there so we could explain and he was going to figure it out sooner or later anyway, but I can't help but feel like I really hurt her back. And now I feel like I've ruined any chance of us making up and getting back together again." he told her while sitting back up straight in his chair.

He then felt a hand on his own and turned to his older sibling. "Kiba, I don't blame you for feeling hurt or angry with Hinata for what she did." she told him. "You're right, it wasn't right for her to lie to her Father in front of you like that. But please don't think it's because she's ashamed of you or anything at all like that. Remember that the Hyuuga Clan are a very old and powerful clan in Konoha. They're very proud and they're extremely selective of who they let their daughters date. And don't beat yourself up over what happened between you and Hinata either. The both of you had a little fight but that's okay, all couple do from time to time. That's a perfectly normal thing to happen in a relationship." she said with a gentle smile.

Kiba smiled back at that. "Thanks Sis, I needed to hear that." he told her. Kiba was real happy he had his sister to rely on from time to time. She could be a real pain in his ass sometimes, but she really was a cool sister to have.

"Anytime." she replied. She then got up and headed over to the cabinets. "Now, dinner should be ready once Mom gets back from her meeting. Why don't I make us both a nice hot cup of tea while we wait for her?" she offered.

That was when they heard a knock at the door. Hana's Ninken, the Haimaru Triplets got up and started barking at it. It wasn't a menacing kind of barking, more like them simply telling their master and mistress that someone has come to visit.

"I'll get it." Kiba offered. He walked over to the front door and was surprised to see Hinata. "Hinata-Chan, uh hey." he greeted while rubbing the back of his head.

"Kiba-Kun, can we please talk? In private?" she asked him.

Kiba nods and steps outside before closing the door. "You said you wanted to talk?" he asked her.

"Kiba-Kun." she says before her eyes began to well up with tears. "I am so sorry." she said while trying not to cry. "I'm so sorry for lying to Father like that and for hurting you. I never meant to do any of that at all and I should have come clean from the very beginning. I was just so scared of how he was going to react and while panicking, I said the first thing that seemed like the right idea at the time without giving any consideration towards your feelings." she said while bringing a hand up to wipe away a tear from her eyes. "And I know you're probably still angry with me and I'll understand if you just wanna end it here, but please. Will you give me a second chance? Will you forgive me?" she asked before she nearly lost it, feeling afraid at what he was gonna say next.

She was surprised when he wrapped his arms around her in a warm and loving embrace. "I forgive you Hinata-Chan." he said softly in her ear. "And yes, I'm willing to give this another try." he added which gave her such a sense of relief she could barely contain herself. She hugged him back as tears flowed down her cheeks. But these were tears of joy she shed from knowing she wasn't gonna lose her boyfriend. Kiba then let go to face her. "And I'm sorry too." he continued. "I shouldn't have overreacted the way that I did and I shouldn't have hurt you back either. Will you forgive me too?' he asked her.

Hinata gently giggled as she wiped her eyes dry. "I already have Kiba-Kun." she answered. The both of them just gazed into one another's eyes lovingly for a moment before they began to gently lean into one another. Their eyes began to close as their lips met in what was their very first kiss. Kiba and Hinata remained like that for a few moments before they finally parted. "Um, Kiba-Kun?" Hinata asked once they parted.

"What's up?" he replied.

"Father has invited you to our house." she told him. "He says he'd like to meet with both of us so he can lay down some ground rules while we're dating. That's something he wanted me to tell you." she explained.

"No problem." he replied with a smile. He then turned to call back to his sister. "Hey Hana!" he called.

"Yeah?" he heard her call back.

"Hinata-Chan and I are gonna stop by her place real quick. She said her Dad wanted to speak with me. We'll be gone for like ten or fifteen minutes and then we'll be back for that tea." he told her.

"Alright, I'll be here." she replied.

While they walked, Hinata looked to Kiba. "Kiba-Kun, I don't want you to feel nervous or anything when you speak with Father. Just be polite when you speak with him, he's very critical about first impressions." she told him.

"Yeah okay." he replied with a smirk. "But seriously, how bad can this be? We're just talking with your old man." he told her.

Hana watched from the window as the young couple walked hand in hand to the Hyuuga Compound. 'You have no idea how crazy fathers, especially Hyuuga fathers can be about their daughters dating Kiba.' she thought with a smile.

[With Naruto And Temari]

Naruto and Temari were relaxing together a cafe that he brought her to. Naruto wasn't as much of a coffee drinker like Temari was but he was able to enjoy a cup with someone. Naruto thought he'd be the gentleman here, let her take a seat while he went to order their drinks which she was grateful for. Naruto stood in line for about twenty minutes before returning with their cups. He'd take a seat across from Temari and hand her the drink she ordered. Then they took their cream and sugar packets and added the amount that they wanted before stirring them in and lifting the cups to their lips for a drink.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked.

"Mmm." she said as she tasted it. "This is nice. This is what I call a nice hot and fresh cup of coffee. It's not Land of Wind brand, but this is very nice." she said with a satisfied smile.

Naruto noticed that she'd been bringing up Suna quite a lot lately. Maybe this was a good chance to talk with her about it. "Y'know, I've never actually been to Sunagakure before. Would you tell me a little about it?" he asked her.

Temari thought it would be good to tell him about her village. Once they were married, the both of them would be making frequent visits together to Suna to improve village relationships and put up an appearance. "What do you wanna know?" she asked him.

"It can't all be a desert out in the middle of nowhere is it?" he asked back.

"A bit blunt, but a fair question." she replied. "Yeah the village can be very dry because it is in the middle of a desert true, but it's not all sand and rocks. And no, it's not overbearingly hot either. It's definitely warmer than here in Konoha sure, but for the most part it's actually very nice. At least once you get used to it." she told him.

"Well that's good to hear. I've tried thinking about Suna before and if I think about it too much I get very thirsty." he told her.

"Actually, it is very dry and during the Summer, it can get very hot so you do need to keep hydrated." she told him.

"I read that your village is built over an Oasis. Is that true?" he asked her.

"It is. Largest one in the whole desert." she replied. "There are many others hidden all throughout the desert which we know the locations to so we have a decent amount of water to sustain the village. Water just isn't a luxury like it is here in Konoha." she told him.

"What else?' he asked.

Temari smiled and thought back. "We have a gentle eastern breeze blow through the village everyday which not only really helps to cool you down, but it brings the sweet scent of Desert Lilies from the valley. Those are my favorite flowers. And I swear, the sunrises and sunsets are always so beautiful." she told him while looking out the window next to her.

"You sound like you really miss your village.' he replied.

"Yeah a little bit." she replied. "But I like it here." she added as she turned back to Naruto. "I'm really beginning to like it here and I really enjoy spending time with you and your Family." she said with a smile which got him to smile back.

Both blondes would talk and enjoy their coffee for a little while longer before it was time for them to return home for dinner.

[Otogakure]

The surgeries Kabuto had to preform for his master were done now after six or seven hours of work and now Orochimaru was resting in his bed covered in bandages from head to toe. The new body that he was possessing was a male body so it wouldn't take too long for the modifications to set in and for this body to fully recover for his use. That was one of the benefits of switching to a male's body instead of a female's. It's not that he had a problem with possessing a man or a woman if they were suitable hosts for his soul, but a man's body didn't require as much surgery or modifications as a woman's did so this was much easier for Kabuto to make the adjustments so that he could make full use of it in his quest to research and develop new and powerful jutsus to increase his knowledge.

Kabuto was washing up while his master was deep in thought. Before he was about to leave, Orochimaru called to him. "Kabuto." he said in a low and menacing voice.

"Yes Orochimaru-Sama?" he replied.

"I've been thinking about our last engagement with Konoha and how it all ended." he told him.

"I take it then you've thought of a new plan for Sasuke Uchiha?" he asked him.

"Sasuke-Kun can wait. I've actually been thinking more about Naruto-Kun." he replied.

"Naruto Namikaze? The Hokage's Son?" he asked him.

"Indeed." he replied. "Despite his heritage, I actually didn't think much about him. No Kekkei Genkai or reason to believe he was anything other than the Hokage's spoiled offspring and a loudmouthed little brat who only knew how to boast in the face of his enemies like any other child who's fresh out of the academy." he explained.

"And I take it you've come to a different conclusion about him?" he asked him.

"I've started thinking more about him after our last encounter with him, Tsunade and Jiraiya." he replied. "Even before your battle with him, I started noticing something special about him. During the Chunin Exams, I saw how he was able to achieve victory against opponents who were stronger and faster than him. Against opponents who should have won." he told him.

"I saw his matches. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that the Hokage's Son is this strong." replied Kabuto.

"It goes much deeper than that." he continued. "I found out that it was Naruto-Kun who defeated Suna's own Jinchuuriki, the Ichibi's Host, Gaara." he told him.

"Now that I didn't know." he said with some surprise.

"Through our resources, I learned why he's so powerful. He's a Jinchuuriki as well. He's the Host of the Kyuubi No Kitsune." he said which made his underling even more surprised than before.

"Clearly, we've grossly underestimated Minato and Kushina's Son." said the Shinobi doctor.

"And I believe this is something we can't ignore either." he replied.

"Do you plan to do something about Naruto then?" he asked him.

"In due time Kabuto." he replied. "Instead, I think we should try building our own village's strength. Perhaps it is time Oto had it's own Jinchuuriki." he said with a cruel smile from behind his bandages.

[Author's Notes] Good grief did this take me a long time. I would like to point out that updating old chapters or updating the stories with new chapters have been a huge pain in my ass ever since my laptop broke. I can borrow one from a friend every now and then and he's pretty cool about it, but I can't borrow it for any longer than a few hours because he still needs it for school and work. This has slowed my progress in updating my stories to a crawl and for that I apologize. I hope you all know that I'm not giving up on any of my stories at all, I just can't update regularly like I used to until I get a new laptop. I can buy one in the near future, but it's gonna be a little while because it's gonna cost me an arm and a leg. Trust me, I freaking hate it.

As you can see, I've changed the writing style from how it used to be like I've been doing with all previous chapters and I've lengthened the chapters so there's more to read and more details so things make more sense. I also felt it was important to have more scenes involving Naruto and Temari's developing relationship so I added the cafe date scene in this one.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories. Please send me either a Review or a PM as I love getting em and if you have any ideas you'd like to share, please lay em on me because I love hearing from my readers and if the idea is good, I'll use it for the story.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	11. A Night Out Together

[Konoha]

It had been a little over two weeks now since Temari had moved to Konoha into the Namikaze compound with Naruto and been sworn in as a Leaf Kunoichi. By now Naruto and Temari had a decent amount of time to get to know one another and learn more about their groom and bride to be. Their relationship for the most part went well. After some time though, they came to learn a little about their roommate that they would find pretty annoying. Temari found Naruto's very enthusiastic and over energetic nature very tiring sometimes. Once he'd finish getting dressed and ready he would get super pumped and excited to get his training underway which was something that got on her nerves. Naruto didn't know the importance behind patience and the virtue of taking your time.

And if that wasn't enough, it got very irritating very quickly at how someone with great grades like his he could still be pretty slow or thick at times. He also was pretty forgetful when it came to the little things like remembering the rules she laid down. If he simply forgot to hang his jacket up or take his sandals off or worse, leave them laying around in the middle of the house it would really annoy her. Having to remind him over and over again really got on her nerves at times. Of course, she wouldn't be the one to pick it up. No she'd hunt him down and nag him about it until he'd hang up his jacket, put his sandals over by the front door or pick his laundry up off of the floor and put it in the hamper. She didn't clean up after Kankuro and she wasn't gonna clean up after him either.

If that wasn't enough he was pretty blunt at times which stunned her given how he was raised by a Hokage, he fought her every step of the way when she either told him to do something or how to do it and was it really too much to ask for him to put the toilet seat back down once he finished using it? But with that said, it's not like Naruto was the only one who was at fault here. In fact he found plenty about Temari that got on his nerves too. First there were the mornings. She always, ALWAYS had to be the first one in the bathroom and has a few times in the past got really nasty on the mornings when she'd sleep in a little and then find him in the bathroom first which would mean she'd have to wait till after him. This wouldn't bother him at all but she always took forever when she showered first.

Naruto could get a hot shower and be done in fifteen or twenty minutes tops. Temari would take over an hour doing Kami only knows what in there. And when Kankuro warned him that she was bossy he hit the nail right square on the head. She was constantly barking out orders on what to do or what not to do and how to do it and it really annoyed him. She may have been three years his senior but that didn't entitle her to dictate him on everything. Another thing that annoyed him was that she wouldn't let him eat as much ramen as he'd like to. Before they moved in together he was free to eat as much as his heart desired if he could afford it and now he was lucky if he was able to eat a third bowl a day. She insisted on a more healthy and balanced diet. He knew she was right but still.

But it didn't stop there. Temari was very short tempered and was set off by some of the smallest things sometimes. Naruto knew he may not have been the easiest person to live with. Hell, he got on his mom and dad's nerves plenty of times in the past too but even they didn't have such short fuses. Temari would get angry over some of the littlest things and there were days he just wanted to tell her to take a damn chill pill. Let it suffice to say that given their personalities they both would butt heads quite a lot. Temari was very bossy, short tempered and hated having to admit when she was wrong while Naruto was stubborn, short on patience and didn't like being told what to do and this would lead them to fight at least a few times each day when they were alone in their house.

With that said though it wasn't all bad either. In fact, if they weren't arguing over one thing or another they actually got along really well most of the time. And although there were still plenty of little things about their roommate that they found a little irritating from time to time they actually found more about one another that they really liked. Temari thought that Naruto's kindhearted and easy going personality was very admirable and easily one of his best traits. She was glad that when they were training or working he was willing to listen to her and see her side and opinion. He was also very helpful too. One of the things they agreed was fair was how to divide up chores around the house. Naturally they did their own laundry but they did take turns with other tasks around the house.

She really liked how she never had to ask him for help if it was her turn to do a certain chore around the house. If it was her turn to vacuum, he'd go out of his way to move the furniture for her so she could get underneath and in the corners. If it was her turn to cook that night, he'd help out in the kitchen so she could work on several things at a time and get them done sooner. Once dinner was done, he'd set the table for her while she'd bring the food in for them. And speaking of dinners, they were actually really nice. The first few nights they had dinner together things were actually a little awkward with neither of them knowing what to say. But once they had opened up they'd be surprised to find themselves talking with one another for hours and hours while they ate.

And once dinner was done, he'd help her do the dishes too if it was her turn to do them. She'd wash and then he'd dry and stack before putting them all away. There were times where she actually felt bad about how helpful he was and he'd never ask for her help at all. Anytime she offered to help him out with a chore he was doing he'd just smile and tell her not to worry about it before he'd summon any number of Kage Bunshin he needed and then would continue. She really needed to get around to asking him to teach her that jutsu because it looked really useful and he sure knew a lot of creative ways of using it. Another thing she really liked about him was despite how energetic he was which was tiring, she admired his dedication and commitment to his shinobi career.

Naruto found plenty he liked about Temari as well. He was glad to finally have someone who would be able to help him learn wind style ninjutsu. He always wanted to learn how to use wind but he never could because neither of his parents knew any or how to even access wind affinity chakra. It was really unfortunate since very few people in Konoha actually had wind as their main affinity or even knowledge of wind style jutsus which made sense given that they lived in the land of fire. In fact, they only knew of one expert of wind and that was the elder Danzo so that was a no go. So the fact that not only she knew but was also willing to train him how to use it was something he really appreciated. Something that also meant the world to him was that she was someone he could trust.

Growing up in Konoha as a Jinchuuriki, even if he was the Hokage's son was really hard on him some days. Within reason, people didn't lash out or try to hurt him and there was only one time when someone decided to call him a mean name. Unfortunately for him Kushina was there to hear him say it. Let it suffice to say that even Naruto felt a little sorry for the poor bastard who thought it was a good idea to call him a monster in front of his very protective mother. The fact that he was able to tell her the truth and trust her not to hate or think badly of him for it meant the whole world to him. To be fair she did have a little brother who was also a Jinchuuriki so she would have been naturally more understanding but she was afraid of Gaara for a time so he feared she was gonna fear him too.

Another thing he really liked was that she got along great with everyone he knew. His friends and family meant the whole world to him so the fact that Temari liked them and got along so well made him really happy and hopeful. Her first time meeting Jiraiya was hilarious. She caught him peeping outside the ladies side of the hot springs (Sorry "Research") so she crept up quietly behind him while he was squatting behind a bush and bashed him upside the head full force with her battle fan. When Jiraiya was rolling around on the ground and screaming in pain while rubbing the massive bump on his head he laughed so hard that he almost peed himself. To this day, she would always keep her guard up around the man who she had deemed "Konoha's most notorious sexual predator" and watched him like a hawk.

She also got along great with his godmother Tsunade which made him happy. And he was also surprised to see her hanging out a lot with Tenten of all people. He was worried that after she had moved to Konoha that there would be some tension or bad blood between the two of them but apparently whatever happened between them was just water under the bridge now. He'd seen them both hanging out and getting coffee together at what was now Temari's new favorite cafe and Tenten had even invited Temari to come and train with her with Temari seriously considering it. The only thing that bothered him now was Sasuke. Naruto had tried to build a friendly relationship between his teammate and his fiancee but Sasuke was always so cold to her. In fact he was always moody towards him and Sakura too.

[Team Kakashi Training Grounds]

Team 7 was currently in the middle of another training session with Kakashi. Right now Naruto and Sasuke were in the middle of a taijutsu sparing match while Temari and Sakura were taking a quick water break before they'd star another sparing match together. Sakura poured some water into a tin cup before handing it to Temari while they sat and had a drink.

"I have to admit you're getting better Sakura I'm impressed." said Temari before taking a quick sip of her water.

"Well thank you but I don't think I could have made it this far without your help Temari." replied Sakura who then took a quick drink.

"Oh I don't know." she told her. "I think you have great potential and can becomes a great ninja with a little more time and practice." she said with a friendly grin. "What I can't understand is why are you only getting better now?" she asked her. "From what I understand you had the highest grades next to Sasuke in the Academy so why are you only getting stronger now?" she asked the pinkette.

"Well I..." she started before looking over to Sasuke who was now taking his own break with Naruto. Temari looked to see the younger girl blushing and looked back and forth before it hit her. Sakura then looked back to Temari to see a disappointed expression. "What?" she asked.

"Are you serious?" Temari asked back.

"What?!" Sakura asked again now sounding a little offended. "So I have a crush on Sasuke, why is that a crime?" she asked her.

"So let me see if I've got this straight." said the blonde teen who was leaning forward from where she was sitting. "The whole time you were in the Academy, rather then training and improving your skills as a ninja like we've been doing lately, you've spent all your time drooling over a pretty face? Are you kidding me?" she asked while raising one of her brows like she really couldn't believe it.

"Hey! Sasuke-Kun is worth it!" she snapped back wanting to defend her crush on the boy she really liked.

"Really?" asked Temari. "Would you still be saying that if you were killed in battle? Would you still be thinking that if you were captured by the enemy? Tortured or even worse?" she asked now causing Sakura to shrink a little.

"Well I...uh." was all she could respond with.

"I've got news for you Sakura." said Temari standing up to her full height. "The Shinobi world isn't a game and it sure as hell no romantic love story either. It's a very dangerous lifetime dedication and there are consequences if you're not prepared or if you don't take things seriously. Do you think I got anywhere I am now because I spent all my time flirting and chasing boys?" she finished asking. She didn't answer but she knew Temari was right. She wasted all her time trying to impress a boy she liked and convincing him to go out with her. She then felt a hand on her shoulder and looked to see Temari sitting down with her again. "Sakura." she began more calmly. "I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with having a crush on someone." she told her.

"Even if we are Shinobi, we're still human so it's only natural for us to develop feelings for someone." she continued. "But what you don't want is to focus all your attention on a boy when you're supposed to be a ninja. How many times have Sasuke or Naruto have to save you when you were in trouble? And if they were captured, would they be able to depend on you? These are all things we must always put first when we decide to become Shinobi." she finished.

"I...I guess you're right." she replied taking it all in. "Thanks for showing me the best way of looking at it." she told the older girl.

Temari smiled in response. "Like I said, it's not a bad thing to have a crush on a boy you like just be sure it's not all you're focused on." she told her.

Sakura returned a weak smile from that. Her smile then dropped when she thought of asking Temari something and hoped she wasn't crossing the line. "Hey Temari can I ask you something?" she asked her. Temari nodded to which she asked "How are things between you and Naruto? Is he treating you well?" she asked her.

Temari crossed her arms real quick before answering. "Things are going well enough." she told her before looking over to Naruto while he was talking with Sasuke and Kakashi. "I'm not gonna lie, there are times he can be a huge pain in my ass." she said before smiling. "But I like him. He's a good guy and his heart's in the right place. And to top it all off he makes the best breakfasts." she finished. Sakura looked over to Naruto and felt something comparable to jealously almost. Naruto had always tried asking her out on dates and she always refused each and every time. But now that she saw how Temari was with him and seemed to be happy about it, she started wondering if she made a mistake telling him no when he tried asking her out.

"You know it's kind of funny." she heard before turning back to Temari. "Growing up I always figured that I was gonna be set up with someone in an arranged marriage. It's a common practice for the leaders of Shinobi villages to set their children up for such unions for political reasons. I should have seen it coming really but when Baki-Sensei told me that I was to be wed to someone from Konoha I was furious. I always figured that I was gonna be set up with the heir of one of our own noble families or even the heir of a Daimyo." she told her. "When he told me that I was engaged to Naruto, I was both surprised and not as much at the same time if that makes any sense at all. I mean, we're both the children of Kage so I should have expected as much. But I was at a huge loss because of my first impression of him." she explained to her.

"When I first saw him I thought he was loud and could only talk big so I didn't really think much." she continued while she watched him. "I watched him fight several times as the exams continued and he proved that he had the strength to back up his bold words. And after he beat my Brother in single combat, something I thought was impossible, I was at a complete and total loss for words. He surpassed all my previous expectations when it came to judging someone's level of strength after first contact. I was even kind of intimidated by him to be honest." She told her. She then smiled again. "But now I've gotta say that I really enjoy the time I've been spending with him. He's actually very kind and thoughtful. He's attentive and not afraid to ask for my advice or listen to what I have to say. I'll admit, he's a good catch and on my own I think I could have done a lot worse." she finished.

About an hour later and Team Kakashi was pretty much done for today. Naruto then came by to speak with his young bride. "So what are you gonna do with your free time today?" he asked her.

"I have an appointment with Tsunade-Sama at Konoha General." she answered. "After that I'm not too sure but I believe it's my turn to cook dinner tonight so once I'm finished with my check up I'll just head back to the house and begin on supper." she told him. "Why? What are you doing?' she asked him.

"Dad asked me to come to his office to speak with him once we were done training." he answered. "He wasn't too specific on the purpose but did tell me that it was important." he told her.

"Then I guess we'll meet back up again at the house for dinner." she said as she headed back towards the village. "I'm making a curry tonight so don't eat anything okay?" she asked him.

"Sounds good." he answered and made his way to his father's office.

Sasuke also headed back to his clan's compound while Sakura headed home to take care of her own chores. Kakashi then whipped out his _"Icha Icha"_ novel and continued where he left off before heading off to get himself something to eat too.

[Hokage's Office]

Naruto was currently waiting in the middle of the room standing before his father's desk while Minato finished reading his papers. He was pleasantly surprised to see his mother there too. Kushina smiled to her young son while she stood just behind her husband. Finally the Fourth Hokage put down the papers to speak with his young son.

"Naruto, I'm glad you're here I wanted to talk." he said sitting back in his chair.

"Sure, what's up Dad?' he asked with his hands behind his head.

"I wanted to ask how things were going between you and Temari." he replied. "It's been nearly three weeks since she's moved to Konoha and moved in with you. I wanna be sure that things are going well with you and your young bride." he explained.

"Things are okay I guess." he told him while placing his hands in his pockets. "She can be a hard roommate to live with at times but she's really nice most of the time." he added.

"Do you think she's beautiful?" he straight forward asked.

"Wait what?" he asked taken back a bit.

"Do you think Temari's beautiful or attractive?" he asked his son. "Have you tried courting her at all?' he asked as well.

"Dad I have no idea where you're going with this." he replied raising a brow in confusion.

Minato leaned forward and pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in response. "Naruto I'm asking because there's not a whole lot of time left before your wedding." he told him. "Your Mother and I are genuinely concerned about your love life. Why do you think we talked with the Suna Council about setting the date three whole months from your engagement with her to begin with?" he asked his son.

"Well I uh..." was Naruto's response.

"You're Father and I are really hoping that you'll avoid being trapped together in a cold and loveless marriage Naruto." Kushina spoke up. "You don't want that do you?" she asked him.

Naruto thought about that for a moment and he realized that his parents were right. Temari wasn't his roommate, she was his fiancee in an arranged marriage between their villages. The both of them were now heavily involved with the political relationships between Konoha and Suna, they were gonna have to exchange marriage vows, live together for the rest of their lives and they were even expected to have children and raise a family together one day.

"Well no now that you mention it. " he finally answered. "But what would you have me do? It would be kind of weird if I were to just walk right up to Temari and say "I love you" right out of the blue don't you think?" he asked them.

Minato sat back in his chair again before responding. "Well if you want our advice why not try asking her out on a date?" he asked with a smile.

Naruto was surprised again by that. "Ask her out?" he replied with a raised brow. "But aren't the two of us already engaged? Is that even allowed?" he asked his father.

"Naruto there's no rule that says that you can't ask your fiancee out." his father replied with a smile. "Your Mother and I went out on plenty of dates when she and I were starting off just as boyfriend and girlfriend but we didn't stop dating once we were engaged. We were still dating before we got married, we were still dating after we got married, we continued dating while she was carrying you, hell your Mother and I are still dating today too." he told him.

Naruto thought that what his dad said made a lot of sense. He and Temari did have a decent relationship already but maybe he really should try for something more. And now that he really thought about it he really did think she was very pretty. Her eyes were a very lovely shade of teal green, he liked the color of her hair too and he liked seeing her hair when she woke up because she still had it down when she got up in the morning. And he couldn't deny that he thought she was very attractive too. Temari had a slim and delicate figure with very nice legs. (When Naruto went through puberty he quickly learned that he was a leg man and a little bit of an ass man too.) And lastly, he did like her. The both of them may have fought from time to time but then again so did his parents.

"Yeah okay I see your point." he replied with a grin. "But what's the best way of asking her out?" he asked his folks.

"Well Naruto." Kushina replied. "I highly recommend flowers. When we first started out, Minato brought me flowers all the time which really brightened my day and he still does." she said before looking over and smiling at her husband and he back up to her. "I love getting flowers and so do many other women. I'm sure Temari would love it too." she told him.

"That's an excellent point." Minato added. "Why don't you go to the Yamanaka flower shop and get Temari some flowers before asking her out?" he asked him.

"All right, I'll do it." Naruto said with a confident smile. "I'll get Temari a bouquet of flowers and then ask her out before taking her on a date. A night out together in Konoha." he declared before he was off.

[Konoha General]

Temari was sitting up on the examination table after just getting her physical with Tsunade. Now she was simply waiting for the Sannin to return and give her the results. She had to admit that she was surprised that one of the Sannin would personally see to giving her a checkup and physical when she needed one but then again a lot of people who were related to Naruto or friends with his family seemed to be very laid back and down to earth. Temari heard stories about Tsunade when she was a little girl and she thought she was a goddess among Kunoichi. Meeting her face to face though shined some light on how human Tsunade actually was. She also wanted to know what her secret was in how she stayed so young because she found it hard to believe that she was fifty years old.

Temari didn't have to wait very long before Tsunade entered the room and closed the door behind her. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting very long." said the older blonde who was flipping through the pages on her clipboard. "It took me a little longer than I would have liked to get the results." she told her.

"It's fine Ma'am." she replied now getting down. "So what's the verdict?" she asked.

Tsunade read down the lines real quick before answering. "Well for starters your blood pressure is a little higher than it should be and your white blood cell count is a little low." she listed. "Nothing dangerous or major but I still have to ask you, are you alright? Are you having difficulties with anything at all?" she asked her.

Temari let out a sigh before responding. "I guess I'm still getting used to Konoha." she answered. "And living with Naruto can really be a strain on one's patience." she added with a smirk.

"Hmmm." replied Tsunade who thought on that for a moment. "I think it's just stress. I'd like to recommend that you take things a little easy for the next couple of days. Don't push yourself too hard for your training sessions and try to relax as much as you can when you're not working. Afternoon naps would be the best in my opinion." she told her to which Temari nodded. "Good." she said putting her clipboard back down. "Now if you don't mind my asking, how are things going between you and my Godson? I hope he's been polite and treating you nicely." she told her.

Temari put a hand on her hip before answering. "I'm not gonna lie." she said with a smirk. "He can be a huge pain sometimes. He's stubborn, he's very blunt and pardon me for saying so but he can be very thick sometimes too." she listed. Tsunade only nodded with an even look. Temari then put on a warm smile before bringing her arms up under her chest and crossing them. "But he is very sweet." she told her. "Despite our differences and how often we may argue I actually like spending time with the little guy." she said which got Tsunade to smile.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that." she replied. "I love that boy. He can be a huge pain in the ass but he's the closest thing I have to a son nowadays and I pray day in and day out for him and you that things will turn out great for you both in the end." she said which got the younger blonde to blush a little.

[Yamanaka Flower Shop]

Naruto was currently looking over a large selection of flowers on sale at the Yamanaka's flower shop. So far he has been unsuccessful in finding any Desert Lilies which were Temari's favorite flowers. Naruto really wanted to impress her by offering her a bouquet of her favorite flowers before asking her out. Probably twenty minutes and he was approached from behind and was startled when he heard a familiar feminine voice.

"Naruto?" he heard and turned to see Ino. "I don't think I've ever seen you here before. What brings you through our doors?" she asked him.

"Well I'm looking for flowers obviously." he answered. "But what are you doing here?" he asked her back.

Ino smirked and raised a brow as if that was a silly question. "Naruto, this is my family's shop. I work here too, not just as a Kunoichi." she told him.

"Oh right, silly me." he replied smiling and rubbing the back of his head.

"But why are you looking for flowers?" she asked. "Can I help?" she also asked.

"I'm looking for a Desert Lily, do you have any?" he asked her.

"One moment." she answered and walked into the back room. A few moments later and she reentered the room empty handed. "I'm sorry Naruto. I thought we may have had a few but no. They grow in the deserts of the Land of Wind so it's not easy to find here in the Land of Fire. But why would you need one?' she asked him.

"Desert Lilies are Temari's favorite flowers." he answered. "I was really hoping to get her a bouquet of Desert Lilies because I'm going to ask her out on a date tonight." he told her.

"Wha-really?" she asked genuinely surprised. "You're asking Temari out? Aren't you both engaged to be married?" she asked him.

"We are, but Mom and Dad told me that I should at least try to get to know her much better and recommended that I take her out on a night in Konoha. I figured that it's a good idea and I'm hoping she and I could become something more than just friends relationship wise." he explained.

Ino looked really excited at the idea of Naruto and Temari dating. She was a notorious gossip in the village and the fact that Naruto was wanting to court Temari before they had to exchange marriage vows was gonna be juicy.

"I'm more than happy to help you out." she beamed. "I have just the Bouquet you can present to her and I'm sure she'll be flattered when you give it to her." she said as she started going over the flowers and figuring out which flowers to arrange. "Also, if you're taking Temari out then you need a different outfit from what you're wearing now." she told him.

"Wait really? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?' he asked.

"You're not going on a mission Naruto, you're going on a date so you should try to look nice." she replied turning with her fists on her hips. "And you also need to take her to a nice place so you better not be thinking about Ichiraku's." she warned.

"What's wrong with Ichiraku's?" he asked almost offended.

"You're not even trying!" she almost screamed. She then calmed herself down and brought a hand up to her head to think. "We have a lot of work to do." she said messaging her temple.

[Naruto And Temari's House]

Temari would finish a few more errands while she was out before she'd head back to the house. She'd walk in and see Naruto's jacket hung up by the door and his sandals placed by the door. This got her to grin with satisfaction as she took her battle fan off.

'I'm glad he's remembered the rules involving clothes and footwear. Clearly he's making progress.' she thought as she put her fan away. "Naruto, I'm back." she called out as she entered the living room.

"Kitchen!" he called back.

She'd enter the kitchen to see him squatting and rummaging through the cabinets. "I thought it was my turn to cook dinner tonight." she said looking down at her young groom.

"It is, but I had something I needed your opinion on something." he replied looking up at her and then back in the cabinet again.

"And what would that be?" she asked with one of her brows raised slightly.

Naruto then stood up and quickly presented the bouquet of flowers he got from the Yamanakas to her. "I wanted to know if you liked these flowers or not." he said with a big grin on his face.

Temari was completely taken back by the gift. "Naruto, thank you these are beautiful." she said finally smiling and genuinely touched by the kind gesture.

"I had hoped you'd like em." he replied smiling and rubbing the back of his neck. "I was hoping to actually find and buy you some Desert Lilies but they didn't have any of them here I'm afraid." he told her.

Temari smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto it was very sweet of you. I love them thank you." she said before closing her eyes and bringing the bouquet up to her nostrils. She hummed softly as she got a whiff of their sweet aroma. "And they smell wonderful." she said before looking back to him. "But I don't understand, why are you giving me these?' she asked him.

"Well, I thought that maybe instead of just having dinner here at the house maybe I'd ask you to go out on a date with me." he replied.

Once again she was surprised by that. "A date?" she asked.

"Do you want to?" he asked her back.

"Naruto, we're engaged to be married." she replied.

"That's not what I asked you." he shot back with a sly smile.

Temari was really intrigued by the idea now that she really thought about it. "Hold on, I'm gonna find a place for these and then I'm gonna put on something nice." she told him.

"Yeah that's fine, I wanna change too." he replied as she ran up stairs.

Temari was in the shower for probably fifteen minutes before she'd exit and quickly head back to her room and get changed. She put on her favorite black dress which actually made her day. The dress was low cut and stopped just below her knees and was meant to show off her delicate figure. She brushed her hair thoroughly but quickly so that it had that nice and healthy shine to it. She also decided to leave it down rather then have it up like she always did. She knew Naruto liked her hair when it was natural. She pondered if she should wear some lipstick or not. Would that be overdressing? Screw it. Just a little bit and chose a shade and color that went with her hair, dress and some mascara to finish her look. She then put on some of her best perfume before she left her room and went downstairs.

She's come downstairs to see Naruto waiting for her and he cleaned up very nicely too. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the top button undone and the sleeves rolled up, a navy blue pair of dress pants and black dress shoes with his matching coat slung over his shoulder. Naruto's hair was also gelled and calmed which she really liked.

"You look especially handsome tonight Naruto." she said as she came down which got him to blush.

"Thanks Temari." he replied as he gazed upon her. "You know you look very beautiful yourself." he commented, thinking that she looked amazing in that dress, makeup and how she wore her hair.

"Thank you." she replied with a small blush of her own. "I take it you have a plan for tonight?' she asked him.

"I've got a nice dinner already set up for us and it's gonna be at one of my favorite sights in the village." he replied. "Shall we?" he offered as he put his coat on.

"Lead the way." she answered with a soft smile.

Naruto opened the front door and let her to exit first before he followed and locked the door behind them. They then walked side by side as Naruto led her to the destination he planned out for their night out together. Little did either of them know, there was a shadowy figure watching them.

'Well well well.' Jiraiya thought as he watched the young blonde couple. 'This seems very interesting. Looks like Naruto's planned a special night with Temari. This could be very interesting.' he thought as he followed from a safe distance.

[Inuzuka Compound]

Hinata was currently sitting at a dinner table with her boyfriend Kiba and his family which was his mother Tsume and his older sister Hana. She was wearing a lavender colored sleeveless dress which was decorated with intricate flower designs. As she enjoyed her meal, she noticed that her hosts' dogs Kuromaru, Akamaru and the Haimaru triplets would get up from their spots on the rug and beg at their master's table to receive some food from their plates. And seeing how Kiba and his family would share their food with their dogs she did so too any time one of them came over to beg from her.

"Hinata I'm very happy that were able to make it tonight." said the Inuzuka Matriarch to the Hyuuga Heiress. "I really hope that you're enjoying your meal." she told her.

"Yes Ma'am, everything is delicious." she replied kindly.

"Y'know, it has occurred to me that we've never had a member of the Hyuuga Clan over to our home before." said Hana who handed another piece of meat to one of her Ninken.

"That's true and truth be told I'm actually surprised that Hiashi was willing to invite you over to his house too." she said to her son. "I hope everything went well at the Hyuuga Compound." she told him.

Kiba stopped mid chew as his mind traveled back to his last visit to the Hyuuga house for when Lord Hiashi laid down the ground rules for him dating his daughter.

[Flashback]

Kiba was sitting at the table with his back straight and his shoulders back while Hinata sat next to him and her father sat across from him on the other side of the table. The food was really nice but it had a little too much seasoning. It's not the Hyuuga's fault but they didn't know that because Inuzukas have such sensitive taste and smell, it made eating food with strong flavors hard to enjoy. Especially with lots of peppers and spices. Still, he was glad that he was formally invited and Hinata was glad that her father was willing to give him a chance. The both of them sat and ate their meals peacefully and quietly but after about twenty minutes Hinata excused herself from the table for a quick trip to the ladies room and leaveing her boyfriend with her father. That's when he finally decided to speak with him.

"So." he said breaking the silence and getting Kiba's attention. You've decided to ask my beautiful Daughter out on a date have you?' he asked him.

"Well yeah...I mean yes Sir. I hope that's alright with you." he replied and trying to sound respectful to the Hyuuga lord.

"I bear you no ill will." he told him. "And given that you both are on the same team I'm not surprised that she would have gotten close and developed a relationship with someone on her squad. But there are some rules I expect you to follow." he told him calmly but firmly.

"Of course Hiashi-Sama." he replied.

"First of all, any place you take her out to must be respectable." he began. "And she also has a curfew and must be home by eleven at the latest." he added.

"That sounds very reasonable." Kiba replied.

"I'm pleased that you think so." said the Hyuuga lord who took a quick sip of his drink. "But there is one other thing you must remember." he said as he put his cup back down.

"Like what?' he asked him.

"If you ever give my Daughter drugs, an alcoholic drink or get her pregnant outside of wedlock then I'm gonna hunt you down and castrate you." he said with a very cold and even face while Kiba paled in fear.

[End Flashback]

Kiba was quiet for only a moment longer before he finally swallowed his mouthful of food and responded. "Dinner at Hinata's home was really nice." he said which made his girlfriend smile before their evening continued.

[With Naruto And Temari]

Temari was following Naruto up a road towards the Hokage Tower until he had her follow him off the road and up what was apparently a secret pathway. She had no clue where they were going but he didn't say too much. They did talk a little about what they like doing but he wasn't straightforward about where he was taking them on her first date with him. Finally she couldn't wait anymore and thought she'd get to the bottom of it.

"Okay Naruto, where are you taking me?" she asked him.

"One of my favorite spots in the village." he answered. "It's one of the best sights and offers an amazing view over all Konoha." he added.

"Can you be more specific?" she asked.

"I suppose I can go ahead and tell you." he replied. "We're going to have a nice picnic dinner on the top of the Hokage Monument." he told her and answering her question.

"Really?' she asked intrigued. "Why are we going up there?" she then asked.

"When I was very little, I remember looking up at the faces of our previous Hokage and telling myself that I wanted to go up there." he told her as they were reaching the top. "But for a long time I never could. It was against the rules and there were over a hundred regulations telling me that I wasn't allowed and why which I had to follow until after I finished at the Academy." he told her.

"I take it that your Father changed the rules?" she asked with a smirk.

"No, now I just don't give a damn." he said with a smug.

"So we could get in trouble if we get caught?" she asked trying not to laugh.

"IF we get caught." he replied as they reached their destination.

"You're something else." she said as they finally reached the very top. The both of them were standing on top of Minato's figure head monument. She saw a blue blanket laid out with a bottle in a bucket of ice and a few bento boxes set up for them. "This looks very nice." she commented. "Did you come up here and set everything up before you asked me out?" she asked him.

"Nope, once you said yes when I asked you out I had some Kage Bunshin I already made head up and set this up while I was bringing you up here." he answered. "They probably dispersed about ten minutes ago." he explained.

"Clever." she said as they both walked over and took a seat next to him. "I gotta admit Naruto, I was half expecting another trip to Ichiraku's." she told him.

He only chuckled at that. "Oh believe me, I seriously thought about that but Ino told me that I should try something a little nicer and a picnic atop the Monuments sounded like a better idea when I really thought about it." he said as he handed her a wine glass.

"Did Ino have something to do with this then?' she asked him.

"She did help yeah and I'll have to remember to thank her for the idea later." he said as he popped the cork off the bottle.

"So will I." she replied as Naruto filled her glass for her. She brought it to her lips and was surprised what she tasted. "White grape juice?" she asked him slightly puzzled but not bothered by it.

"Yeah, I'm not a big fan of alcohol and I thought both wine and juice are made with grapes anyway right?" he asked as he poured himself a glass.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a drinker anyway either." she said before taking another sip. "And it's the thought that counts and I'm enjoying this. It's nice to be pampered on a date by your Fiancee." she said with a kindhearted smile.

Naruto then brought out the bento boxes and handed one to her. "I hope you like it. I tried to set up a balance of meat, rice and vegetables like you enjoy with your meals." he told her.

She took it and once she opened it up she was impressed with the selection of nicely cooked roast chicken, white rice and steamed veggies. "I can tell you put a lot of time and thought into this Naruto. I'm actually really impressed." she told him as she picked up her chopsticks to begin eating.

The both of them would eat and drink together while they talked. This wasn't like their other meals together because of how everything was set up. Temari thought there was something really special about this. She got the feeling that Naruto was really trying to improve their relationship and pursue something special with her. It actually made her genuinely happy. That was when she looked off to the side to look over the village.

"It's very beautiful isn't it?" Naruto asked her.

"It is quite the sight." she replied. "I can see why you brought me here and why this is your favorite sight." she told him.

"I come up here all the time and look over the village every chance I get." he replied. "Every time I look out over the village it reminds me why I love Konoha and why I can't wait for the day I becomes Hokage." he told her.

She figured that this would be a great time to ask him about that. "Why are you so fixated on that?" she asked him. "Becoming Hokage I mean." she added.

"I remember watching my Dad looking out over the village when I was very little and how the whole village cheered for him." he began. "When I was four I told my Mom that I wanted to be just like him when I grew up and become the next Hokage." he said with a fond smile on his face. "As I got older, I realized that being Hokage wasn't simply a popularity contest. I wanna be Hokage simply because I love my village. It's my home and the people here are my own. There are many who hate and fear me because of the Kyuubi, but I don't hate them for it. And one day, I'm gonna prove to them I'm the one who'll lead them and protect them. That I will be the leader they will look up to and respect." he said giving her his full speech and answering her question.

Temari was almost completely blown back by that. She didn't know if it was how the wind blew through his hair or how the light shown upon him but she started seeing him as more than simply the guy she was gonna marry. She started seeing him in a whole new light, she just didn't have any words to describe it.

"Naruto." she said in amazement.

"Hey, the Sun is setting." he told her pointing off in the distance. "I know you said that you enjoy sunsets and sunrises. It may not be anything like what you describe in Suna but ours aren't too bad either." he told her.

Temari looked out over the distance and was blown back with how the now orange sun was slowly setting behind the mountains in the distance. The way the sky changed colors too was truly a sight to behold. She was dazzled.

"Naruto, this is beautiful." she said smiling before looking back over to him. "I'm really happy you brought me here to see this. Thank you." she told him.

Naruto smiled back and watched the sun set with her as it slowly disappeared behind the mountains. He would later take her out for some dango before they'd walk back to the house together. Naruto would open the door and let her enter first before he'd follow in behind her and close it. She has a very satisfied smile on her lovely face and turned to Naruto once they made it back.

"Naruto I had a wonderful time tonight." she told him. "Thank you so much for the dinner and the night out. I had so much fun." she said with one of her genuinely sweet smiled.

"I'm very happy I was able to make your day." he replied smiling himself. "Um, would you like to go out again another night? Dinner? A movie? Dinner and a movie?" he offered.

Naruto got his answer when she walked up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I would really like that." she told him as she headed upstairs to get ready for bed. She purposely swayed her hips and smiled when she felt his eyes on her. She really liked it that he thought she was attractive.

Naruto stood there with a big blush from the kiss and from seeing how she walked in such a suggestive manner. Once he was done gawking at her he headed upstairs and got ready for bed too.

[Next Day]

Naruto was in his father's office speaking with his parents and telling them all about his date with Temari. All the while they were smiling while Jiraiya was there too. "And she said she'd love to go out again." he finished. "I had no idea that dates were so much fun." he told them.

"Well Naruto your Mother and I are both very happy that things went so well for you two. I hope that things will only get better for you both." his father replied as he sat back in his chair.

"I'm thinking this time I'll take her to see a new movie that just came out recently." he said with a grin. "We're already talking about places she'd like to eat out at too." he added.

"That's wonderful Sweetheart." his mother replied. "now why don't you go on ahead to the training fields. Kakashi should be waiting for you." she told him.

"Yeah I probably should get going." he said rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, I'll see you all later. Bye Mom, bye Dad, bye Jiraiya." he said as he ran out the door.

Once it was closed, Kushina could barely contain her excitement and was jumping for joy. "Minato! Our Son sounds so happy right now!" she sceered. "I think he really likes Temari and it sounds to me that she really likes him too." she said hugging him while he was still seated.

"I know and that's wonderful news." he replied. "You made the right call in encouraging him to ask her out." he added.

"I think it's only a matter of time before they both truly fall in love and then...Jiraiya, what the hell are you doing?" she asked looking over to the Sannin with a raised brow.

Jiraiya was scribbling down notes in his book and chuckling as he did so before he was interrupted by Kushina clearing her throat to get his attention. "Okay, so here me out." he began. "I think that Naruto and Temari could very well be the inspiration I need for my next book. The story will be of a young Prince who's trapped in the ever changing world of royal politics and forced into an arranged marriage with a beautiful and exotic Princess from another kingdom. So to safe them both from a cold and loveless marriage, he'll fight to win her heart before the day they say I do." he said with a fire in his eyes.

"You've gotta be kidding me." replied the red head with one of her eyes twitching.

"It's gonna be great!" he continued. "It'll have action! It'll have political intrigue! It'll have adventure!" he said before he started blushing. "It'll have romance." he said before giggling again. "Yes! I think Naruto and Temari will be the stars of my best book yet!" he cheered loudly as if he just won a great victory.

"Absolutely not." replied Koshina now crossing her arms.

"Wha?" he asked back looking at a very angry Uzumaki.

"I won't let you use my Son or our future Daughter in law for one of your filthy novels." she said putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh please?" he asked her. "I promise that I'll cut you all a percentage of the profits." he tried offering.

"No!" she yelled. "I know how you conduct your _"Research"_ when you write your books and I won't have it." she told him.

"B-But..." he tried protesting.

"I said no!" she said one last time. She then turned back to her husband. "Minato, I need to go now but I'll see you again later for dinner." she told him.

"Of course love." he said before they shared a quick kiss and she was gone. He then turned back to his mentor. "You're still gonna write that book aren't you Sensei?" he asked him.

Jiraiya only smiled. "Yes Minato, yes I am." he answered.

The blonde Hokage only smiled. "You'll be sure to get Kakashi and I a copy once it's finished right?" he asked him.

"Oh absolutely!" he said with a big grin and two thumbs up.

[Author's Notes] Boy oh boy was this one a pain in my ass to redo. But I'm glad I finally got around to doing it. Wasn't easy when you're still without a computer but I managed. As you can probably read, the only real changes were changing some of the dialog and a few scenes but other then that mostly it was just the writing style. Now all I got left are chapters twelve and thirteen and I'll have everything caught up and I'll be able to update my chapters to this story regularly again like before.

Anyway, thank you all as always for reading my stories. Please leave a Review or a PM letting me know what you think and if you have any ideas you wanna share lay em on me because I love hearing from my readers.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	12. Pieces On The Board

[Team 7 Training Grounds]

It was nearing the end of the third week and Temari had integrated into Team 7 quite nicely. For nearly three weeks, she'd had plenty of time to get to know her Fiancee, her new Sensei, Sakura and Sasuke. Kakashi was a decent fellow and a very skilled ninja. His lessons in strategy and teamwork always put her through her paces and she felt like she was really improving with each session. She just wished he'd take it a little more seriously and would keep his nose out of those perverted books til after the day was finished. Sakura was nice and over time she became a good friend as well as an excellent sparing partner. Sasuke was the only one she wasn't too fond of. He was always very moody and never smiled. She had no clue what other girls saw in him because she didn't see it.

Naruto really impressed her with his dedication and growth as a ninja. The only thing he really needed to work on was both patients and his temper. These were obvious when he was either sparing with Sasuke and Kakashi, or while trying to develop his wind chakra. She noticed that he's been able to tap into it, that's not his problem. The thing he was struggling with was being able to direct it so it can be focused properly. Naruto would sit in a lotus position with the same old rock in his hand and would try to split it like she'd shown him before. She'd watch as the wind chakra would gather and swirl around the rock, but it wouldn't slice it in half like he was aiming for. She'd watch him do this for a few hours each day before their session was up.

"Damn it!" he shouted getting fed up and slamming his fist into the dirt. "Why can't I cut the damn rock?!" he cursed. Temari frowned at his frustration. She knew well enough that Naruto responded well to positive teachings and lots of encouragement. She figured she'd do the same for him. "Naruto." she said placing her hand on his shoulder and getting him to look up from the rock in his hands. "Relax. You're doing fine." she told him then sitting down in a lotus position across from him. Naruto grumbled a bit and looked away. "Easy for you to say." he replied. "You're not the one who's been struggling with trying to just cut a rock in half." he told her. Temari smirked and tilted her head to the side.

"Actually." she responded getting him to look back to her. "Years ago I was in the same spot you were in." she told him which seemed to genuinely surprise him. "But that can't be." he replied. "I've seen you use that fan of yours before and it's incredible." he told her getting her to chuckle a bit. "Thank you for the compliment Naruto." she replied. "But you need to remember that I didn't get this way over night. Just like you, it took me a while to learn how to direct my wind chakra so I could start learning wind style ninjutsu and even longer to get where I am now." she told him which made him look down looking a little depressed. He then felt her hand on his shoulder again. "Naruto, I know you'll get this. It's just going to require some time and patience." she told him.

Naruto and Temari would work on it for only a few more minutes before Kakashi called his team forward. All four students filed in as he addressed them. "Alright everybody." he said in his usual mood. "Training went well today and I can clearly see that you've all improved greatly these last few weeks. I hope you're doing well with your new team Temari." he said looking over to the former Suna ninja. "Still adjusting, but it's getting easier." she told him crossing her arms. "Very good." he replied. "Then for now, we should head over to the Hokage's office. I believe he has some D rank missions for all of us." he explained. One of the nice things about Naruto and Temari's engagement is they didn't have to worry about really hard missions.

It was then Kakashi saw someone approaching in the distance. It didn't take long for him to see that it was Kurenai Yuhi from squad 8 and he could tell she had something she wanted to talk to him about. "Alright." he said with a moment of seriousness. "New plan everybody. You four go on ahead and take the missions without me." he instructed. "Huh?" asked Sakura. "You're not coming with us Kakashi-Sensei?" asked Naruto to his teacher and mentor. "I'm sorry Naruto, but something's just come up." he replied seeing as Kurenai was now waiting off to the side. "I'm sure you all can handle some simple D rank missions without me right?" he asked smiling behind his mask. "I guess we'll see you again tomorrow." replied Temari and they were off.

Kakashi turned to his fellow jonin who had a somewhat troubled look. "Kakashi." she said looking over to him. "Hello Kurenai." he greeted with a smile and wave. "What can I do for you today?" he asked her. "I was hoping I could talk to you about something." she replied. "Something important." she added. "Well my students are all heading to accept their missions so I have some time." he replied. "What did you wanna talk about?" he asked her crossing his arms. "Not here." she told him. "I wanna talk it over dinner. I've made arrangements at the Shyushyuya's tonight so I'd like us to talk about it over dinner." she explained. "Are... you asking me out on a date?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I'm just asking if you'll meet me there tonight." she told him. "I'm not asking for a date, but I do have something important I need to speak with you about and I wouldn't be bothering you if it wasn't something that you and I need to talk about." she explained. "Well if it's important, I suppose I can make the time." he replied rubbing that back of his neck. "Of course, no sense in having you pay for everything. I'll split the bill as well as cover the tip." he offered. Kurenai smiled at that. "I appreciate that Kakashi." she replied turning. "So I'll see you tonight then at 10." she told him. "I'll be there." he replied watching as she walked off. ("I wander what it is she wants to talk about.") he thought to himself.

[Konoha Park]

Kiba and Hinata were sitting together on a bench and enjoying some ice cream. Kiba also got some dog treats for Akamaru to enjoy and he even let Hinata feed him from her hand which is very important in Inuzuka customs. He then noticed that his girlfriend had gotten a little quiet. "Hinata-Chan?" he asked dropping his smile. "Is everything alright? Do you not like your ice cream?" he asked her. "Oh, no Kiba-Kun." she replied quickly."The ice cream is very good really." she told him trying to sound reassuring. "Well then what's got you so quiet?" he asked her. "Um... well." she replied looking off to the side. "Yes?" he asked. Hinata started to blush. "I was hoping... that maybe we could go somewhere more private to... um... kiss?" she asked.

Kiba grinned at that before standing up and helping her to her feet. "I've got no problem with that." he told her. "I'm a bit surprised though that you'd be the one to think this up. You're getting bold Hinata-Chan, I'm impressed." he told her getting her to blush again. "Well... I uh." she replied stumbling over her words as her boyfriend took her by the hand to lead them to the training ground for team 8. Kiba figured that was great place to smooch since nobody would really suspect you to go there for any other reason then to train. Kiba and Hinata would head to team 8's training ground for a nice long make out session free from the eyes of everyone else. Both were unaware of the rumors that were spreading of the Inuzuka Boy and the Hyuuga Heiress.

Rumors that the Hyuuga Clan would certainly not like.

[Iwagakure Tsuchikage's Office]

In the village of Iwagakure No Sato, a ceremony was taking place to congratulate one of their kunoichi in reaching the rank of chunin. A young woman with short black hair stood across from the desk of her village leader, now wearing her new Iwa chunin vest and wearing it proudly. "Furthermore." spoke the voice of a cranky sounding old man from behind his work space. "As the 3rd Tsuchikage, I hereby promote you to the rank of Chunin, Kurotsuchi." he said to the young lady before him. "Thank Gran-" she stopped herself mid sentence, remembering to be proper before the village leader. "Tsuchikage-Sama." she finished. Just then, a women in a black kimono walked up to the old man and handed him a sheet of paper.

The Tsuchikage, Onoki, took the paper and a moment to read over it. His granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, watched quietly for a moment while his eyes read down the lines. She saw his eyes widen for only a moment before he looked back up at her. "Grand Da?" she asked forgetting to properly address him before the public. He ignored it before responding. "I have things I need to see to now Kurotsuchi." he replied. "Go ahead and enjoy the rest of your day, for you've earned some time off from all your hard work." he told her. She smiled and bowed before turning and showing herself out. The doors closed leaving the Tsuchikage alone with his assistant and several other chunin and jonin in the room with him.

"Would someone like to explain to me how this information slipped the net?" he asked looking over to his assistant who was calmly standing her ground. "I apologize Tsuchikage-Sama." she said bowing her head. "I only received this notice a few minutes ago myself. I simply brought it to you as soon as I could." she explained. The old man looked at the paper once again with a very annoyed look. "Well this is just what we need." he said putting it down and sitting back in his chair. "Suna and Konoha forming a new alliance against us and an addition to the Namikaze Family." he growled. It went without saying that the Tsuchikage and most of Iwa really hated the Yellow Flash and his family with a passion.

During the 3rd World War, they lost more then a thousand of their shinobi in on battle to Minato alone and Kushina nearly killed their previous Jinchuuriki in another battle. Suna wasn't that much better in his eyes. They sat back and didn't do anything at all for half the war and once they joined in, they choose to side with Konoha after seeing all his ninja being butchered. The old alliance between Konoha and Suna had severely restricted any movements he made strategically in war and when he heard that the alliance was broken, he saw this as a golden opportunity to take Suna out of the picture and then exact his revenge on the Yellow Flash. Now it seems they waited too long because now they were gonna secure a new alliance that's even stronger then the first.

"Tsuchikage-Sama." spoke another chunin getting him to turn to him. "Is there any reason that we can't attack and destroy Suna now?" he asked him. "We still have more shinobi then they do and if we were to take the village, we'd gain a huge strategic advantage over Konoha. We could attack before the new peace treaty is signed." he explained. "I don't fault you for thinking along those lines." replied Onoki. "But you forget that the Suna Princess, Temari of the Desert, has already moved to Konoha and is settling in with her new family. Even if she hasn't married Minato and Kushina's little bastard yet, there's no way they'd let her home village be attacked. It would take us a month at best to breach their defenses and by then, Konoha would out flank us." he grumbled.

"And if that's not enough, now we have to worry about another Namikaze." he growled out looking at the paper his informants have brought him. "A marriage between the children of two Kage is certainly a frightening thing sure, but if the Kazekage's Daughter marries the Hokage's Son, we could be looking at an even greater threat then before." he shouted. "With respect Tsuchikage-Sama." said another chunin, this one a woman. "We've been at peace with Konoha since the war came to an end years ago. They have no reason to start another one with us." she told him. "Not yet." he replied. "But we can't ignore that the Namikaze bloodline is one of the most powerful in the shinobi world. There's a reason so many of us were slaughtered in the last great battle." he told her back.

"I remember the day I first heard when Minato and Kushina had a Son and I knew it was a bad sign from the get go." he continued. "His birth marked the revival of a clan that was nearly wiped out by the Raikage a generation ago and now they're restoring their numbers to their former glory." he complained. "And if that's not enough, Naruto's not even sixteen and they've already selected a bride for him. The Kazekage's Daughter too no doubt. It's only a matter of time now before she spreads her legs and squeezes out a brat that looks like him and soon, we'll have to deal with more then one Yellow Flash." he growled. That made quite a few members stir a little at the thought. "Tsuchikage-Sama, don't you think that's a little far fetched?" asked the first chunin.

"Of course not." he growled back slamming his fist into his desk. "Have you heard the latest on the Namikaze Boy?" he asked him. "He was able to summon the great Toads of Mt. Myoboku in battle as well as learn his Father's cursed Rasengan. It's only a matter of time now before he learns the Hiraishin and Konoha will have a weapon far greater then any we can train. His wife will only further secure the future of her new family's clan by providing an heir for him." he finished. "Well what should we do sir?" asked the female chunin. "The best way to deal with a threat, is to hunt it down and destroy it before it can attack first." he replied. "I want you to send for Saaga and his Death Squad." he ordered.

[Otogakure]

Kabuto watched as Orochimaru was working on another experiment in his lab. The surgeries were a complete success and now he was strong enough to move about and work on his research. The Snake Sannin was dressed all in white and had bandages covering most of his face. It would still be less then another month before he'd be at full strength again, but he was still very dangerous as it was. The traitor who led an attack against Konoha was both working on another solution to his quest to destroy the leaf village as well as going over his battle with the 4th Hokage in his mind. Orochimaru was both irritated and impressed that Minato, despite his youth, was not only a capable warrior, but also leader and skilled tactician.

When he sprung his trap, signaling for Suna and his own forces to begin their assault, he thought it was gonna be an easy win for him and he would have fulfilled his ambitions of destroying Konoha. He was gonna watch as the village burned, the Hokage Stone Faces crumble and he'd show the people to their horror, the severed head of their village leader he would have killed in single combat. Instead, Minato was not only able prove himself much stronger then he originally thought, but he also held his own against his predecessors, the reanimated 1st, 2nd and 3rd Hokage. His skills in fuinjutsu also proved to be far greater then he anticipated because the Namikaze was able to break his hold on them and turn the tables.

Were it not for his quick thinking and the Sound Four, he would have died right there. Now he was set way back in his goals in seeing Konoha burn to ashes and with more then half his own men killed in the fighting. He cursed himself for not thinking things through a little better because clearly, Konoha doesn't just make anybody the 4th Hokage. A direct approach now would be suicidal and now he's received word through his contacts that Konoha and Suna are forming a new alliance through an arranged marriage between both Kage's children. He knew he was in a bad position should both villages decide to invade Oto. Both villages now had a personal grudge against him for what he had done and now, he had no allies.

These things he had pondered for some time during his recovery and one thing kept on coming back. One of the reasons he recruited Suna for the war was because they had the Ichibi's Jinchuuriki who was Gaara of the Desert. Through this failed invasion, he learned two very important things. The first being that the story of how Minato killed the Kyuubi No Kitsune was a cleaver deception which they were able to use to their advantage during the fighting. He was surprised to learn that the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki was in fact, the 4th's own son, Naruto Namikaze, who showed impressive strength when he defeated Gaara on the battlefield. The second was that realized very quickly why village's coveted Jinchuuriki now.

They were far more useful then he first believed and now he was motivated to secure his own. The idea of getting his own Jinchuuriki also began working the gears within his head. Jinchuuriki on their own were very strong and capable weapons on the battlefield. But with the right experiments and proper research, he could make one into a truly destructive force and one to further his goals. He sneered behind his bandages as he thought on this and sure enough, this got Kabuto's attention. "Even with the bandages, I know the look behind them." said the dark medic ninja. "I take it you've got a plan already?" he asked. Orochimaru turned and smiled behind his wrappings again. "Of a sorts." he replied. "Send for the Sound Ninja Four. I have a mission for them."

[Uchiha Clan Compound]

Sasuke was walking home now after doing some short and simple D rank missions with his team. He was moody because the whole time, Naruto was his hyper and energetic self and Sakura was still flirting with him. It got on his nerves real quickly whenever he thought about it. Sure he bucked heads with Temari because she was bossy and tried taking leadership of the team when Kakashi wasn't present, but at least she took her job seriously. She didn't spend all her time fussing over her hair and outfit trying to pretty herself up or daydream and chase boys. She was an excellent example of what it meant to be a kunoichi and she wasn't even from his village. Temari got on his nerves because of her personality, but he respected her.

He opened his front door and to his surprise, Itachi was gearing up in his shinobi uniform. His older brother turned and smiled when he saw his younger sibling enter the room. "Sasuke, welcome home." he greeted. Sasuke stepped in and looked his brother over again. Itachi was wearing standard black ninja long sleeve shirt and pants with a shiny chest guard, form arm protectors and shin guards with black shinobi sandals. "Are you going out?" asked Sasuke. "In a manner of speaking." he replied smiling. "I thought we cold head down to my private training field and get a few hours in together." he told him. Sasuke was surprised again by that. "I thought you said our next session wouldn't be till Saturday." he responded.

Itachi walked over to the back door and opened it. "That is what I said yes." he told him. "But I decided to go ahead and bump it up to today. I would like to spend some time with my little brother and no doubt, you want another training session shortly after finishing your day with Team 7." he added. Sasuke walked after Itachi who walked out the back. "But aren't you busy?" he asked him. "Don't you have any paperwork and Clan business to attend to?" he asked as well. Itachi turned and smiled to the younger Uchiha while he walked. "Of course I do." he replied. "And I'll have more of it tomorrow and the day after as well. But even if I am the Chief of the Anbu Black Ops, Chief of the Police Force and the Clan Lord, that doesn't mean I don't want to train anymore." he explained.

"Even a Clan Lord needs to keep his skills sharp." he added. Sasuke smiled and followed his brother to the training field. About ten minutes later, Sasuke stood across from Itachi who was standing ready for battle. "I imagine you want me to go all out for this." said Itachi smiling as his Sharingan ignited. "I don't want you holding back." replied Sasuke as his Sharingan flashed to life in his eyes as well. "I can't use my full strength without killing you Sasuke." he said looking him dead in the eye. "But I can promise that I won't disappoint you either." he added. Sasuke took a stance and for a moment, there was a stillness between both brothers. They were simply waiting for the right time to make a move.

Sasuke then flashed from his spot and Itachi turned quickly, catching his fist with his own hand before shooting his own fist forward only to be caught by Sasuke's free hand. "Youve certainly gotten faster little Brother." he commented as Sasuke back flipped and landed on his feet drawing a kunai as he did so. "And that's not even the half of it." he replied watching as Itachi drew a kunai as well. "Then this will be interesting." he said as they both charged forward.

[Hokage's Office]

Minato was currently at his desk going over some new forms that were just brought to him by his assistants when his wife enters. "Hi Minato." she beamed as she walked into her husband's office and seeing him smile up at her. "Hello Kushina." he greeted. "I'm glad you're here. My whole day has been at this desk and I'm happy for a visit from my lovely Wife." he told her. "Oh you." she replied walking up and giving him a quick kiss. "I hope you're hungry, because I brought you some lunch." she said holding up a bento box. Minato takes the box and smiles at it. "I am grateful my love." he tells her, putting it down on his desk. "I haven't had a chance to run out and get something to eat yet." he told her.

"And that's why I'm here." she replied happily. "Keeping my Husband company and well fed." she added. Minato opened it up and was delighted to find some sushi and rice along with some sweet buns too. "This looks delicious." he comments taking a quick bite. Kushina looks at the papers that Minato placed on the table when she arrived. She took a few moments to read over them while he ate. "Kiri's locked in a civil war huh?" she asked standing up strait and looking to Minato who swallowed his mouthful. "So Jiraiya's contacts informed." he replied. "It seems that enough people were fed up with the Tyrant Yagura and decided to fight back. The Rebels are being led by a woman named Mei Terumi who's leading them against Yagura and his Loyalists." he told her.

Kushina read some more about her before turning back to Minato. "Why do I remember her name?" she asked looking back up at him. Minato finished another mouthful of his food before responding to his wife's question. "She was a rogue who came here once and explained how Yagura was rounding up people with a Kekkei Genkai and was either sealing away their abilities to use their jutsus or just strait forward executing them." he replied. "She asked for aid and I told her that we'd help to fund the rebellion in exchange for a new alliance with Kiri once she and her rebels won the war." he told her. "Okay now I remember." said Kushina reading the paper again. "It seems to me that she and her forces have now made their move." she commented.

"They did indeed." he replied. "She's already secured several victories and the moral of her forces are up, but they're still outnumbered at least 2 to 1 and Kiri ninja are skilled when it comes to changing and evolving tactics in war." he added. Minato decided to change the subject and smiled at his wife. "So." he said getting her to turn to him again. "How are Temari and our Son?" he asked her. Kushina beamed at being able to talk about it now. "I've been watching the two of them and it make me so happy to see them getting closer." she told him with a twinkle in her eye. "Naruto takes her out on dates such as movies, dinners and sight seeing all the time. Oh Minato I'm so proud of him." she said then leaning in to hug him.

"Good, I'm glad." he said sitting back in his chair. "I have to admit I was a little worried about the arrangement at first, but it seems that things are working out for Naruto after all." he told her. Kushina took a seat next to her husband and sat back as well. "True." she replied. "I only wish though he was a little older for the wedding. And I wish he had a real say in who he could marry like we did." she explained. "I feel the same." he replied. "And what really bothers me, is that I got this feeling that Danzo had a huge hand in all of this." he commented. Kushina's eyes narrowed at that. "I had heard about that." she told him. "Hiashi-San said he had the whole Council agreeing to it almost too easily." she added.

"The strength of his influence is very troubling." replied Minato. "And from what Naruto told me, he has a very sinister plan behind it all." he added. The redhead gently nodded. "Temari told me about her last talk with him as well once." she told him. "She said he makes her feel very uncomfortable and vulnerable." she added. Minato smirked seeing his wife getting mad at that. "I get the distinct impression that you're not too pleased when she told you about her talk with the Elder." he commented. "I swear that if he does anything to either harm or take advantage of Naruto, Temari or our future grand baby, he'll regret it." she said with a smirk of her own and cracking her knuckles. "I love you." said the blonde.

Kushina got up and walked over to sit in her husbands lap. "I love you too." she told him before wrapping her arms around his neck and gently kissing him on the lips. Minato was surprised when she adjusted so she was bringing both her legs around his waist while he sat at his desk. "Kushina." he said as she leaned back while smiling down at him. "What are you doing?" he asked her. "Just showing my handsome Husband how much I love him." she said with a sexy smirk. "We're in my office Kushina." he said a little nervously. "We can get in trouble doing it here." he warned. "Is that a no?" she asked with a mock hurt face and voice. Minato only smiled and lifted her up and set her on his desk. "I didn't say that." he said before attacking her with a fierce kiss.

Minato laid his wife down on the desk, pushing all the papers off and onto the floor before climbing up over top of her. ("Tee hee hee! This is gonna be fun!") she thought as he started kissing her neck.

[Tsuchikage's Office]

The Tsuchikage was sitting at his desk at the moment with his assistant to his right and six cloaked figures standing before him. "I am glad you are here Saaga." he said to the leader of the troop. The leader of the group was the only one with his hood down. He had silver/white hair and red war paint covering most of his face in intricate designs and patterns. A few of the guards in the room had a difficult time keep their cool with Saaga and his team in the room. Iwa Tracker Ninjas also called "Ghost Ninja" were some of the most skilled assassins in the Land of Earth and Saaga's "Death Squadron" were the best of the best. Over the last decade they've carved out a reputation for being the Reapers of the ninja world and have been known to kill at the drop of a hat.

"You summoned us Tsuchikage-Sama." said Saaga in his cold and even tone. "I have a mission for you and your team of the utmost importance." he told him. "It has come to our attention that the Hokage has arranged for a marriage between his Son and the late Kazekage's Daughter. Their union will be the start of a new alliance between Konoha and Suna which will only serve as a disadvantage against us should we ever resume war with the Leaf." he told him. He then leaned forward. "And I'm sure you are all aware that this union will also result in the restoration of the Namikaze Clan once the Princess gives birth to a child from their marriage." he added while staring them down. "I take it then you want someone dead?" he asked with a sneer.

"Correct." said the old man sitting back in his chair. "I want you all to find Minato and Kushina's bastard Son Naruto, and kill him." he ordered. "Him and his Fiancee." he added. "My team and I will depart for Konoha at once sir." he said bowing followed by his team. The Tsuchikage stood up before they turned to walk away. "The purpose isn't just for the sake of finally receiving justice for what the Yellow Flash did years ago in the last World War, but to ensure that no new peace treaty will be signed between our enemies either." he explained. "Nobody can know that Iwa was involved in the death of the 4th's Son or the Suna Princess. Am I clear?" he asked him to which Saaga smiled and turned to face him again bowing.

"We will remain discrete." he promised. "My team and I have a specialty in blending in with the crowd and striking when the time is right. Not only will the Namikaze boy and the Suna girl die, but so will any witnesses and informants involved in any way. And if worst should come to pass, we'll take the secret of who gave the orders to our graves Tsuchikage-Sama." he finished. The Tsuchikage sneered after hearing that. "I knew I could count on you." he told him watching as he walked off. "And one more thing." he added getting him to turn one more time. "Not only do I want them dead, I want their heads." he growled.

[Uchiha Clan Compound]

Sasuke was hunched over with has hands on his knees and panting while Itachi was standing tall in a relaxed manner. Itachi had just deactivated his Sharingan and breathed a sigh. "I think that's enough for today." he said watching his little brother catch his breath. "No." he replied still panting and wiping his chin. "I can still keep going." he told him. "That's enough Sasuke." he repeated. "I know you wanna continue but I really need to get back now." he told him. "And it's important that you rest now after fighting as hard as you did." he added. Sasuke stood up strait with a disappointed look. "Sasuke." said Itachi getting the younger Uchiha to look back to him. "You did very well today." he told him smiling. "I can tell that you've gotten much stronger."

Itachi and Sasuke were walking back now as the sun was beginning to set in the back behind them. There was a silence between the both of them before Itachi decided to break it. "You know, that Haruno girl is very pretty Sasuke and she clearly has a thing for you." he said with a grin. "You should consider taking her out." he told him. Sasuke's brow twitched at that. "You've said that about Sakura before." he said with a groan. "She is." he replied. "And you've said that about Ino. And you've said that about Kasumi, and you've said that about Kimiko, Shinobu, and Misa, You've said that about all the girls who harass me." he remarked. Itachi only laughed at that. "Well to be fair, Mom always said you were gonna be a heart breaker." he remarked.

"Itachi, why is my romantic life something you have to care about?" he asked with a pang of annoyance in his voice. "A fair question." replied Itachi. "But let me ask you a question real quick. Do you think that it's only the Hokage's Children who are selected for Arranged Marriages?" he asked him. This caused Sasuke to stop dead in his tracks and look him square in the eye. "What are you implying Itachi?" he asked him. "Sasuke." said Itachi turning to face his younger sibling. "Do you know what are the duties of the Uchiha Clan's main household?" he asked him. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. "To preserve and protect our Clan's customs, history, traditions and honor." he replied. Itachi smiled and nodded his head at that.

"That is correct Sasuke but that's only part of the answer." he told him. "So far, you've mentioned what the main household's duties both past and present, but what about the future?" he asked him. Sasuke was silent for a moment before answering his brother's question. "... To provide an heir or heiress carrying the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan's Lineage." he told him to which Itachi nodded again. "That's right." he replied. "You and I are both the last heirs of our family's household and we both are still unmarried and have no children." he added. "Where are you going with this?" asked Sasuke. "Sasuke, I'm worried about your love life because I may be forced one day to select you for an arranged marriage." he told him plainly.

This really shocked the younger Uchiha hearing his older brother say that. "You... haven't already... have you?" he asked him a tad nervously. "Not at the very moment no." replied Itachi. "But we can't remain bachelors forever. I'm not saying that you can't find happiness in an arranged marriage. Mother and Father were both brought together in a marriage arrangement by their parents and they both led very happy lives together." he explained. Sasuke then watched as Itachi put his hand on his shoulder. "But I really want for you to find someone on your own time. I couldn't bare the thought of selecting you for a marriage arrangement, only for you to be trapped in a cold and loveless commitment with someone you have no feelings for." he told him.

Sasuke was taken back at the thought of being forced into a marriage against his will. He remembered months ago when the Hokage told Naruto that he was getting married and the idiot really freaked out. But if it could happen to Naruto, who's to say it couldn't happen to him. "Well why aren't you being the one pressured into finding a bride?" asked Sasuke finally. Itachi only smiled before closing his eyes and reopening them. "Sasuke." he replied. "I already have been selected for a marriage arrangement." he told him. If Sasuke wasn't surprised before, he certainly was now. Both brothers were quiet for a moment as the wind blew right past them. "Don't be so surprised Sasuke." he told him. "I'm eighteen now and I have an obligation to our Clan."

Itachi started walking again and Sasuke followed still not sure he heard his older brother right. "When did this happen?" he asked him as they walked. "Today actually, at one of the meetings with the Clan." he replied. "Our Elders and several other members told me this morning that they've selected a bride for me from one of Konoha's most successful trading families. Their Daughter and I will be meeting for the first time shortly after the Hokage's Son and the Lady Temari are wed." he explained. "And you're just gonna go through with it? Just like that?" he asked. "It was a decision made by the majority of the Clan Sasuke." he replied. "They've already made the agreement with the Echigoya's that I will marry their Daughter Sumike." he told him.

"Since when does the Clan Lord do what that Clan tells him?" asked the younger Uchiha to the older. "If you don't want to do it, then can't you just tell them no?" he asked. "Sasuke, I am the Clan's Lord, but I'm not a dictator." he replied. "To keep the peace within the Clan, everyone has a voice in the Clan's future. As the Clan Lord, my job is to govern." he explained. Itachi then stopped again and turned to his little brother. "I accepted the offer because it was either they marry her to me, or you." he told him. Sasuke was once again surprised. "So you bought me time then?" he asked regaining his composure. "For now." replied Itachi. "But the Clan expects you to find a wife as well and I may be pressured into choosing one for you in the future." he warned.

Sasuke stood where he was while Itachi started walking again. "How much time will I have?" he asked looking to his older brother. "Depends." he replied not looking back. "It could be a couple of years from now, or it could only be a few months from now." he added. Sasuke ran up to walk side by side with Itachi again after hearing that. "You wouldn't really force me into this in just a few months right?" he asked. "If the Clan wills it." he answered. "Itachi I'm thirteen." replied Sasuke. "And so is your friend Naruto, yet his parents have already agreed to a marriage arrangement." he told him in response. "Remember that you're a ninja now Sasuke. Once you've put on the hitai ate, your childhood came to an end and you've sworn to serve the village no matter what." he added.

Sasuke was quiet for the rest of the walk home after that. He was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that his older brother was gonna get married. He also dreaded the thought of being forced into one himself. "That's one of the reasons I asked you to train with me today Sasuke." said Itachi getting his little brother to look back up at him. "I wanted to tell you about what it was you may or may not have to look forward to in the near future." he told him. "And the other reason?" asked Sasuke. "Once I get married, I won't be able to have as many training sessions with you as I'd like." he told him. Sasuke saw Itachi with a sad look on his face. "I was hoping to spend some more time with my little Brother before I become even busier." he added.

[At The Shyushyuya's]

Kakashi and Kurenai were sitting at a table together enjoying a nice meal and one another's company. Both ate a little in silence before Kakashi decided to break it. "So Kurenari." he said looking up at the lovely young woman sitting across from him at the table. "You said you wanted to talk to me about something important?" he asked her. Kurenai put her fork down and sighed before looking back up at her fellow jonin. "I... I wanna talk about us." she told him. Kakashi wasn't expecting her to say that. "Us?" he asked asked. "I wasn't aware we were in a relationship." he told her. "I know we're just friends and I know after we did... what we did, it was agreed that this wasn't gonna mean anything and we could still remain friends afterwards." she replied.

More then a month ago, Asuma broke up with Kurenai and it didn't end well between the both of them at all. Kurenai was heartbroken from how hard she was dumped and would spend the next several hours later that night washing her sorrows away with strong liquor at a bar with Anko. Kakashi ran into the ladies there and they both told him the whole story. Then Anko would ditch the both of them and leave Kakashi to be the one to walk her home since she was so drunk, she couldn't even stand strait. Once he got her home she broke down and started crying. He did his best to try and comfort her, only for the raven haired jonin to jump him and for one thing to lead to another. He had no clue how it all happened, but the next day, they were both naked in her bed.

"Kurenai." he began. "I told you that it was the booze you drank and that you don't have anything to be ashamed of. I promised you that I would never tell anybody about what happened between us and that this wasn't going to affect our friendship in any way." he said doing his best to reassure her. Kurenai was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting back in her chair. "Kakashi, I'm pregnant." she told him plainly. The white haired male's eye shot wide open after hearing that. Kurenai crossed her arms and brought one of her legs over the other. "And guess what." she said. "I've decided that I'm keeping my baby." she told him. Kakashi was still frozen where he sat after hearing her say that. "P-Pregnant?" he asked.

[Naruto And Temari's House]

Naruto and Temari enter their home together after a long day of D rank missions and training with the team. Naruto was very careful to remember to hang up his jacket and put his sandals away near the door so as not to be chewed out by Temari over it again. Temari put her fan away and walked into the living room stretching a bit. "So Temari." said Naruto entering the room with her. "Wanna go out tonight? Maybe a movie? Or how about that restaurant you've been wanting to go to for a while?" he asked. Over the last week, Naruto and Temari have gone out on many dates and truth be told, he was really enjoying her company. They both had a lot of fun watching movies, going out for dinners or even just hanging out.

"I'm sorry Naruto, not tonight." she replied walking past him and not even making eye contact. This really surprised him as she always said yes before. "Oh." he replied a little lost. "Well, how about I make you a nice dinner? It's my turn to cook tonight." he offered. "I'm not too hungry tonight." she replied. Once again Naruto was at a loss. Temari was always at least a little hungry once they got back from training or work. "Well... what do I do?" he asked not knowing how to handle this. "Make whatever you want Naruto I don't care." she told him as she made her way to the stairs. "Temari... are you alright?" he asked watching her go up the stairs. "I'm fine Naruto." she replied still not looking back. "I'm just not hungry and I'm a little tired that's all."

Naruto just stood there in the living room as he heard her open and close her bedroom door. ("What was all that about?") he asked himself inwardly. Naruto would have several bowls of instant ramen that evening by himself which just didn't feel right. He's had so many dinners now with Temari that eating by himself felt wrong. Once he finished, he took a quick shower and made his way over to his bedroom. Before entering, he saw Temari's bedroom door and was tempted to knock. He wanted to see if she was okay but stopped himself from knocking. He didn't want to bother her at the moment. As far as he knew, she was already asleep. He shrugged and headed to bed himself. He figured she was probably just tired like she said she was and just wanted sleep now.

Temari was in her room, laying on her bed with her hands behind her head. She hadn't even bothered getting dressed for bed and was still wearing her kunoichi uniform. Temari's stomach was empty at the moment while her mind was full. Both of these made it very difficult for most people to sleep. She rolled over and looked sadly at a picture she had near her bed. It was the last picture she had taken while still living in Suna. In it was her, Baki and her brothers with the village behind them. Temari ran her fingers over the picture as she looked at her younger siblings. ("Gaara... Kakuro.") she thought to herself. Temari would spend a few more hours tossing and turning in her bed trying to get some sleep before she was finally able to.

[Author's Notes] I'm so sorry for not updating sooner but I've been really sick and needed time to rest and get over it before I could start writing again. I'm not as bad now as I was before but I'm still trying to beat this. I'm hoping that once I'm finally over it, I can start writing regularly again.

This is Dragon1990 signing out!


	13. The Boiling Point

[Konoha Streets]

Kushina was walking along the streets of the village enjoying a pleasantly nice day. The sun was out, the wind blew softly and the sound of children playing could be heard all around. Konoha's first lady was walking home after a shopping trip and was going to prepare dinner for her husband once he got off work. From time to time, she'd stop to chat with some of the villagers who'd greet their first lady warmly and offer her their best wishes. ("I think a quick trip to the Ichiraku's is in order.") she thought after talking with another civilian. ("I'm long overdue for a visit with Teuchi and Ayame. And I could really go for a hot, steamy bowl of Ichiraku ramen.") she thought with a smile. Ten minutes later, she arrived and took a seat.

"Hello Teuchi, hello Ayame." beamed Kushina taking a seat. The old man from behind the counter, turned and smiled to the red headed lady who was one of his favorite customers. "Well hello Miss Kushina." he greeted. "Welcome back." he finished turning to face her. "It's nice to see you back Kushina-San." said Ayame. "Very nice to see you as well Ayame-Chan." replied Kushina. "I was hoping I could order a bowl of Miso Ramen." she asked. "Coming right up." said Teuchi. "Please make that two." said an all too familiar voice. Kushina turned to see her son take a seat. "Naruto hi." said Kushina with a bright and warm smile. "Hey Mom." he replied. It was then she noticed that Naruto looked pretty down.

"Naruto, is everything alright?" asked Kushina, now switching seats so she could sit next to him. "Not really." he replied, leaning on his elbows. "Things... aren't going to well between Temari and I." he told her. Kushina was really surprised to hear that. "But I don't understand, everything was going great between you two." she said with a worried look. "I thought so too." he replied. "But now things aren't going so smoothly." he explained. Kushina shifted a bit before leaning in. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked him. Naruto was quiet for a moment, then let out a sigh. "It all started a little over a week ago." he began. "Temari and I have gone on lots of dates together like movies and dinners and such, it was awesome." he told her.

"But then one day, after she and I came home after a training session with Kakashi-Sensei, it changed." he continued. Kushina was listening seriously as her son went on. "At first, she just refused to go out on anymore dates with me and when I asked, she always said she was just tired and didn't feel like it. I tried asking her if anything was wrong and she'd say it's nothing. Then she started to change." he said while looking down. "Change? In what way?" asked Kushina. "Temari started getting really nasty." he replied. "Within reason, she's always had a bit of a short fuse, but she wasn't unreasonable and she never was angry at me very long either. If I made her mad, I'd say sorry, she'd say it's fine and we'd move on." he explained.

"But lately, she'd become extremely angry over the littlest things." he continued. "If the dishes weren't stacked right or if I missed a spot while vacuuming, she'd get so mad. I have no idea where it all came from all of a sudden." he confessed. "I've tried being cool and forgiving about it, but now things have finally hit rock bottom between us because I got mad at her too." he told her. "What happened?" asked Kushina to her son. "Well our last conversation went a little something like this..." he began.

[Flash Back]

Naruto was standing outside his front door, dreading the idea of entering because he knew that Temari was inside just waiting to yell at him for one reason or another. ("Just be nice and calm.") he thought to himself. ("Be in a good mood and I'm sure she'll come back around.") and with that, he opened the door and let himself in. "Temari, I'm home." he said in a cheery tone while taking off his jacket. "Where the hell have you been?!" he heard from inside which made his smile drop. "I've been waiting for you to get back for over an hour!" he heard her shout. "I"m sorry I'm late, but all I ask now is you give me two seconds, so I can hang my coat up." he replied hanging his coat near the front door.

"You're late for dinner Naruto." he heard her say. "Late for dinner?" he asked walking in. Naruto saw Temari sitting at the table with her arms crossed and one leg over the other while she glared at him with a very cold look. On the dinner table, was a meal laid out she'd prepared for them both. "Uh... what's for dinner?" he asked nervously. "It's an old recipe from home." she replied calmly but still slightly hostile. "It's a cold vegetable soup with herbs from the garden." she explained. "Oh well that's good." he said walking into the dinning room. "I mean if it's cold, it can't get any colder right?" he asked with a nervous smile. "Naruto." she replied still glaring at him with some venom.

"And it looks very delicious." he replied. "I'm sure it's a great dish-" he was cut off when Temari spoke. "You had Ichiraku's on the way home again didn't you?" she asked with one of her brows raising in annoyance. "...Yes." Naruto confessed with his head dropping as he knew what was gonna happen next. "Damn it Naruto!" shouted Temari slamming a fist on the table. "Okay I'm sorry!" he shouted back. "Can we please start over?" he asked taking a seat. "Tell me about your day." he said leaning back in his seat. "You forgot to take your sandals off." she commented. Naruto looked down and saw that his blue shinobi sandals were in fact still on his feet. "I'm sorry, give me a sec." he replied.

Naruto walked over to take them off while Temari was still glaring. "Leave them by the front door neatly Naruto." she growled. "Yes Mom." he snapped back sarcastically. "You call me that one more time and I'll start instructing you to stop slouching when you sit." she warned in a very hostile tone. "What is your problem?" he asked standing up and turning to her. "My problem?" she asked standing as well. "Temari I have no idea why you've gotten so pissy lately." he confessed. "Pissy?!" she asked getting even more angry. "Yes." he said back. "What is it that's making you so angry all the time?" he asked wanting to know why she's become like this. Temari was quiet for a moment then turned her head.

"You wouldn't understand." she replied and made her way to the stairs. "You know you say that all the time, but I won't understand if I don't even know why you're upset." he said following her. "Could you please tell me if something is bothering you? I wanna help." he told her. "Forget it!" she shouted from the top of the stairs where he heard her bedroom door slam shut. "Fine!" he shouted back getting angry himself.

[End Flash Back]

Kushina was quiet while she listened to Naruto tell the story. "It's been three days since our fight now and she still won't talk to me." he told his mother. "I've tried making it up to her. I've bought flowers from the Yamanaka Flower Shop and even left her Apology Cards and I find them all hours later in the garbage. Even when we're at the training fields, she still refuses to talk to me at all or help me in my wind affinity training. I'm at a loss." he confessed. By now, Naruto and Kushina had both finished their ramen and were walking together. "This sounds like quite the mess." she said looking at her son with deep sympathy. "No kidding." he replied. "I wanna make it up to her, but I'm afraid I'm gonna make things worse." he told her.

"I think I'll wait and let her vent and then maybe she'll come around." he told his mother. "You just want to drop it?" asked Kushina. "I don't wanna make things worse if I try talking to her and I'm tired of being yelled at." he replied. "Naruto." said Kushina, getting him to stop and face her while she placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "I know you don't like getting in arguments, nobody does." she started. "But just dropping it doesn't help with anything at all. You need to try and work things out with Temari or things will only get worse." she told him. "What do you mean?" he asked her. "Not talking about problems within relationships don't solve those problems, they only berry them." she told him.

"If you try and berry a problem, it doesn't just go away, it builds up pressure." she went on. "The pressure that builds up is very subtle. It could take days, weeks, months and sometimes even years for it to build up to a boiling point. But the longer it's not resolved, the longer it continues to build up. Then one day, you both get into an argument that's completely unavoidable and then all the pressure is released at once and the two of you are thrown into a very heated fight and next thing you know, one of you or even both of you will say or do something you really shouldn't have and that could ruin a relationship." she finished explaining as she let Naruto think it through, letting it sink in.

Naruto looked back up at his mother when she got his attention again. "Nobody likes getting in fights Naruto." she told him plainly. "You're Father and I get in plenty of fights from time to time and neither of us like it at all but we don't drop them and leave them alone either. We work things out as best we can and get it over with. Remember that just because you have a fight with someone you care for, it doesn't mean that you've stopped caring for them." she said with a small smile. "Right now, I think something is bothering Temari and she needs to talk about it. And it's important that she knows she has someone who's willing to talk with her about it." she told him. Naruto thought about that and it made sense.

Before she started getting real angry all the time, she did notice that she looked pretty down. "I have an idea." said Kushina. "Let me talk to her first and let her know that you wanna speak with her." she offered. "Maybe I can smooth the process-" she was cut off when Naruto interrupted. "No actually." he replied. "I'm gonna talk with her." he told her. "Are you sure about that?" she asked, a little surprised. "I'm the one who started the fight, so I should be the one who makes it alright again. And besides, I wanna fight my own battles and this is something I have to solve." he finished. Kushina smiled at that. She was proud of how much he was growing up. "Okay, but if you need any help at all..." she offered. "I know." he replied smiling back.

Naruto and Kushina would hug before he'd part ways and head back to the Namikage Compound to wait for his chance to speak with his Fiancee. ("Oh Naruto, I hope you're able to patch things up with Temari.") she thought as she walked on to her next destination.

[Council Chambers]

Danzo was meeting with Homura and Koharu in the council chambers within the Hokage Tower. The three of them were currently going over some forms that they've received from Suna. "It would seem that Suna's Council has just submitted the list of Nobles who wish to attend the wedding between Temari and the Hokage's Son." said Homura reading over the form. "It also seems that Minato has granted them permission to bring their own security whom they request work with our own during the wedding ceremony, seeing to everyone's safety." he added. "Makes sense that Minato would allow them to ensure that their own security force be there." said Koharu. "Both sides need to be willing to trust one another." she told them.

"We don't need to trust anyone that we form alliances with." said Danzo cutting in. "We just need to share interests in ensuring the survival of our villages and ways of life." he told them. They were quiet for a few minutes longer before Koharu decided to pick things up again. "Any word on how Suna's Princess is adjusting?" she asked. "From what we've learned, she's growing close to the Hokage's family." replied Homura. "We don't need to worry about how comfortable she is with her Fiancee or his family." Danzo cut in. "We just need to ensure that she remains loyal to Konoha and secure the alliance between both our villages." he told them. "Are you saying she can't be trusted?" asked Koharu.

"Trust is something that's truly hard to come by in the shinobi world." he replied. "It's better if we're able to control her." he added. "The best way to tighten our hold on Temari, is when she produces a child from her union with Naruto." he finished. "What is with you're fixation on the children that Naruto and Temari will have from their marriage?" asked Homura to the old war hawk. "As I've mentioned before, I'm interested in being able to train them personally and building our village's military strength with the growth of a strong clan." he replied. "A child would also secure our alliance with Suna through Temari. Once she provides an heir or heiress to the Namikaze Clan, she'd never betray the village her child is born too." he told them.

"And even if her loyalty were to sway for any reason, we'd have her offspring to use against her and keep her loyal." he added. "No matter how powerful a shinobi becomes, once they've had a child of their own, they've developed a weakness that can be exploited. Furthermore, so long as she lives in Konoha with us, Suna would never attempt to betray us without the fear of putting her and her family in danger." he finished. "Sounds to me like you've thought it all out Danzo." said Koharu. "Those who do always succeed in the end." he replied. "Naruto's marriage to the Lady Temari, will make Konoha stronger in many ways then it was before." he finished.

[Naruto And Temari's House]

Temari enters the house in the late afternoon shortly after relaxing at a lounge. She closes the door behind her, places her sandals near the door, also noting that Naruto's sandals and jacket are hanging up, telling her that he's home as well. Temari didn't want to be around him at the moment and just wanted to head back upstairs to her room for a while. Upon entering the living room, she sees Naruto sitting in the stand alone chair and could tell by how he was sitting that he was waiting for her. Naruto looked to see the older blonde girl in the living room just looking at him for a moment. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was still sore about their fight several days ago.

"Temari, can we talk please?" he asked, standing up from the chair. "I've got nothing to say to you." she said in a cold tone. "Temari please?" he asked as he watched her heading to the stairs. "No." she replied coldly. "I'm heading to my r-" she was cut off when he dashed right past her with great speed and spread his arms out to block her way to the staircase. "Move." she said with a hard look while crossing her arms. "We need to talk Temari." he said now looking intense of his own. "Naruto move." she replied. "Not until we talk about this." he snapped back. "Naruto, if you don't move, then I'm gonna move you myself." she warned him. Naruto was now reaching the end of his patience.

"Temari!" he shouted surprising her a bit. "We are getting married in less then two months! You know this." he told her. Temari looked down for a moment, then off to the side for a second before Naruto started talking again. "Is this what you want our relationship to be like?" he asked, getting her to look back up at him. "Do you really want to walk down the isles with a smile painted on your face and exchange empty marriage vows, then live the rest of your life with somebody that you hate?" he asked her putting his own arms down now. "I never said that I hated you Naruto." she replied turning just a bit but still keeping her arms crossed. "Maybe not, but we're hardly making any improvements between us." he shot back.

"What's the point?!" she yelled back. "Why do you even want to talk about it?" she asked him. "Because Temari, I miss what we had together before this whole thing started." he replied calming down a bit. "I miss all the fun you and I used to have when we went out on dates, movies and dinners and such. I miss my friend." he told her which got her to relax a bit hearing that. "I want to make things work between us Temari, I really do. But I can't do this on my own, you have to want it too and for that to work, we need to talk to one another if there's something bothering us." He took a step forward now, only a few feet from her. "Temari, if there's something upsetting you, please talk to me. I want to listen to you." he told her.

"Well you would be the first." she said getting angry again. "Nobody ever wanted to talk to me before this whole damn mess between both our villages started. Nobody asked me at all how I felt about the idea of being given to another village like a prize or a peace offering! Nobody ever wanted to know how I felt about leaving my village, living in a place where most everyone hates me because of my heritage! Nobody asked me how I felt about having to marry somebody I don't love!" she shouted. Temari then gasped and closed her hands over her mouth with wide eyes from shock at what she said. Naruto looked at her stunned for a moment, then his eyes dropped and he looked down rather sadly.

The two of them were just standing there with an uncomfortable silence between them for what felt like a few minutes. Temari was beginning to panic in her mind. She wasn't trying to hurt Naruto's feelings, she just wanted to move him out of the way. Now she felt like she really messed up. Kami only knows what kind of trouble she may have gotten herself into now that she hurt the Hokage's son the way she did. "Naruto I... I'm sorry I didn't mean... that is..." she said stumbling over her words. Naruto took a deep breath before looking back up at her. "Temari?" he said, looking the older girl in her teal green eyes. She was worried about what he was gonna say next. "You're homesick aren't you?" he asked.

Temari's eyes glanced downward after he asked. "I..." was all she said then. "Temari." he said again, getting her to look back up. "Do you have something you wanna talk about?"

[With Sasuke]

Sasuke was walking along the road in the central districts of Konoha. For a while now, he'd been thinking heavily about what his brother told him. It was still such a weird thing to think about that Itachi was getting married. He also dreaded the thought of being forced into a marriage arrangement that his brother would have to agree to. Thinking about it now, does he really want to wait for the day his brother chooses a bride for him, or would he rather find a nice girl on his own good time? Just then he looked up to see his teammate Sakura walking on her own, carrying some plastic bags and looking like she was heading home. ("I've got to be out of my bloody mind for even thinking this.") he thought, taking a deep breath and sighing.

Sakura was blissfully walking home when she heard a familiar voice call her name. "Huh?" she reacted when she turned. She looked to see Sasuke walking up to her with his hands in his pockets. "Sasuke-Kun Hi!" she greeted with a joyful smile. "This is a nice surprise, what can I do for you?" she asked turning to face him. ("She's not the strongest kunoichi in Konoha, but she's got potential and she's already a member on my squad. Better the girl you know right?") he asked himself inwardly. "I wanted to talk to you if you had a few." he told her. "Sure, what did you wanna talk about?" she asked with her cheerful smile.

[Naruto And Temari's House]

Temari was sitting on the middle seat of the sofa quietly while Naruto was in the kitchen. He offered to make her a cup of tea before they talked. She was still thinking about what she last said to Naruto minutes ago. She had no idea where that came from at all. Truth told, she didn't hate Naruto, in fact over the last month, she'd grown really attached to the little guy. She didn't mean to say something like that at all and now she was hoping she didn't make things even worse. Naruto reentered the room with some tea and handed Temari hers before taking a seat next to her. "Naruto, about earlier. I didn't mean that and I'm so sorry. I have no idea why I even said that." she confessed hoping he would understand.

"It's okay." he replied with a weak smile. "I understand now what's been bothering you this whole time." he said shifting a bit. "Temari, why didn't you say anything from the very beginning?" he asked, looking up to her. "I thought... I thought this was something I could handle on my own." she replied. "I didn't want to make it somebody else's problem." she said trying to regain her composure. "I'm a Kunoichi and the Daughter of the Kazekage. I can't let my emotions be something to either weigh me down or distract me from my duty as a Ninja of Suna. I can't afford to look weak." she said trying to sound confident again. Naruto placed a hand gently on hers. "Temari, you're a Kunoichi but that doesn't mean you're a golem, people expect you to have feelings." he told her.

"But not if they get in the way of the mission." she replied. "But you don't know that." he told her back. "Temari, I care about you." he told her, meaning it with all his heart. "I wanna hear what you have to say and if you're hurting. It's not healthy to keep our emotions all bottled up. If you have something you need to get off your chest or if you need to talk, I'm here for you." he told her. Temari was quiet for a moment before Naruto saw her finally break down. Temari started sniffling a bit as her long berried emotions were coming out. "It's true." she said looking him in the eye finally, her eyes and her voice filled with heartbreak. "I miss Suna." she told him, Naruto seeing some tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes.

Naruto reached over to an end table to take a tissue out of the box and hand it to her. Naruto watched as she brought it up with her free hand to wipe a few tears before blowing her nose. Naruto held her other hand in his to try and comfort her. "What do you miss most?" he asked. Temari was quiet for a moment as memories of her childhood flashed through her mind. She took a deep breath and sighed before answering. "I miss the sights and the sounds of the Desert." she told him in a weak and fragile voice. "I miss the sunrises and sunsets, they always looked so lovely." she said sniffing again as Naruto handed her another clean tissue. "I miss the gentle, eastern breeze which brought the sweet scent of Desert Lilies from the valley. They're my favorite flowers." she told him.

Temari choked on her next breath before picking up again. "I miss my favorite Cafe." she continued, looking away for a moment to wipe some more tears. "They always made the best coffee and the most delicious little pastries." she told him huffing as it grew harder and harder to keep from crying. "I miss my friends, Sen and Yome. We were in such a huge hurry in getting ready to come to konoha that I never got the chance to say a proper goodbye." she told him. She then closed her eyes tight as more tears were beginning to run down her cheeks. Naruto handed her another tissue which she accepted. "I miss my Brothers, Kankuro and Gaara." she said in a shaky voice. "I had so little time with them before coming here." she told him.

Naruto was surprised when she turned to him, looking him in the eyes no longer able to keep the tears from flowing down her cheeks. "Before this whole thing started, Gaara had changed so much in so short a time since your battle with him." she told him. "He was finally opening up to Kankuro and I. I was beginning to bond with not only him but Kankuro too. Gaara even said... he told me that he loved me once." she explained which broke Naruto's heart. He never even imagined how hard it was for her. She wasn't just leaving her home in Suna, but her family too. "For the first time, in such a long time, I didn't feel like I was just another kunoichi or just a teammate, I felt like a Big Sister again and that's all I've ever wanted." she told him.

Naruto then took her other hand in his while she faced him. "I miss my Family, I miss my Friends, I miss my village..." she looked at him with absolute heartbreak all over her face. Tears were flowing down her cheeks like rivers as she let it all out. "Naruto, I miss my Home." she finished. Naruto was at a loss. He's never seen Temari like this before since they met and he always thought she was this bold and extremely confident kunoichi he barely met during the chunin exams. "Temari, I'm here for you." he told her. "I'm right here for you now." he said softly. Temari, no longer able to restrain herself, fell forward into Naruto's arms, berrying her face into his shoulder as she cried loudly. Naruto held her and let her cry her eyes out.

"Naruto, I miss them all so much!" she waled as all her pent up emotions came pouring out. Months of anger, frustration, loneliness and heartbreak all came flowing out as Naruto let her cry into his shoulder. Temari cried for hours as Naruto sat and did his best to comfort her. Thinking about it now, he'd learned two very important things from this. Something his mother was trying to help him understand when they first talked before he came back to the house. The first, is that communication was very important in a relationship. Although a relationship was built on trust, communication was extremely important for it to last. The second thing he learned, was that no matter how strong someone may be, the heart can be fragile to the touch.

Temari would cry for hours in their living room, all while Naruto gently rubbed her back, letting her unleash everything. The poor thing would eventually cry herself to sleep on his shoulder. Several hours later, Temari would get back up, look and blush as she wiped her chin. She didn't realize she was drooling while she slept. She looked over to see that the time was around 4am. She also looked to see Naruto fast asleep as well. ("He stayed here with me the whole time.") she thought, unable to believe it. ("He never left me the whole time I was crying. He... he really does care about me.") she thought. Temari would get herself up and would get a pillow and blanket for Naruto before trying to go back to bed herself.

[The Next Morning]

Naruto would wake up to the refreshing smell of something cooking. ("Huh, I didn't realize I fell asleep on the couch.") he thought. Naruto turned to see Temari already in the kitchen and from the sweet smell, she was cooking breakfast. The younger blonde was a tad worried about how she was going to behave now, but he got up and made his way over. She must have heard him or knew he was there because she turned and smiled. "Good morning Naruto." she greeted as she turned some bacon over in a pan. Naruto smiled with some relief at how happy she seemed. "Morning Temari." he greeted back. "Breakfast will be ready in a few, go take a seat." she said, gesturing to the table. Naruto made his way over and sat in his chair.

In a few minutes, the former Suna kunoichi brought two plates of bacon and eggs. She also poured some lemonade with mint into a couple of glasses and handed one to her betrothal. "Thanks." said Naruto, accepting the glass of the sweet and minty beverage. "Itadakimasu." they both said in unison before they began eating. Naruto noticed that Temari was shooting glances and smiling warmly from time to time. "You seem to be in a much better mood." Naruto commented, finally breaking the silence. "Are you feeling better? I was worried for you yesterday because you cried for felt like for ever." he told her. "I feel much better actually." she replied, swallowing some egg. "Due in no small part to you." she added smiling again.

"It feels good to get something off your chest, doesn't it?" he asked. "I guess I didn't realize how badly those feelings needed airing." she replied. "But you're right, I needed to talk to someone about it and I needed a good long cry." she explained. It was then Naruto saw her look down a little sadly. "Temari?" he asked. She looked back up at him. "Naruto I owe you a huge apology." she confessed. "For what?" he asked. "First of all, for how I acted toward you." she answered. "I was dealing with all this pent up anger and then taking it all out on you and that was neither right or fair." she explained. "It's also for what I said in the heat of the fight." she continued. "I mean... I may have felt that way once long ago..." she confessed.

"But I do really like you now." she added. "You're a very good person and an excellent ninja." she told him to which he smiled and blushed a little. "And lastly, it's because I've been really selfish." she explained. "Selfish?" replied Naruto, a bit surprised by that. "In what way?" he asked. "I laid all my problems out before you and in the meantime, I ignored the fact that you and I are both forced into the marriage. You may not have been the one forced to leave Konoha as I had to leave Suna, but this can't be any easier on you either and I ignored that." she answered. "I never gave you much of a chance to vent so, I wanna hear from you, how are you? And how do you feel about this whole arrangement?" she asked him.

Naruto sat back in his chair to think on it for a moment before replying. "When Mom and Dad first told me that I was gonna be forced into this whole thing, I was pretty angry at them for a while." he told her. "For a long time, I thought that they were using me, or that the village was using me and they did nothing to stop it. When they told me that I was chosen for an arranged marriage, I felt like all my hopes and dreams were shattering in that instant and it made me very resentful towards my parents and the village for a while." he explained. Temari thought on that and remembered how angry, hurt and scared she was at the whole idea. "Naruto, did you... have a girlfriend before our engagement?" she asked.

She was curious because he mentioned that a lot of hopes and dreams were ruined. "No, I wasn't in a relationship or anything." he replied. "But there was this one other girl that I really cared for though, it was always one sided. I tried being nice but she never really felt the same way for me and in the end, it just wasn't meant to be." he finished. Naruto thought it best not to mention that it was Sakura because he didn't want to make either girl feel awkward or uncomfortable around one another since they were both on the same team. "Hm, well if you ask me, she really missed out on a great guy." Temari told him. "I don't know who she is, but she lost any chances at having someone as good and as decent as you." she told him, making Naruto blush a little.

"So..." she said, wanting to pick back up on their earlier topic. "How did you deal with it? The whole situation in the end I mean." she asked. Naruto took a quick drink of lemonade before replying. "Same way you and I are handling it now." he told her. "Once I was tired of being angry all the time, I talked to Mom and Dad about it. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that it wasn't any easier on them then it was for me. It helped me understand how hard it really is sometimes for Dad to do his job as Hokage. Every decision he makes, no matter how hard or unfair it seams, has to be the best one he can make for the whole village. Accepting the proposal from Suna gave me an idea of how hard it is. Saying yes, was hard for me, but the village needed it." he finished.

Temari could certainly relate to that. Even if it was the village council that made the arrangements and offered her to Naruto when they did, she was sure that her father would have done the same exact thing. Temari knew that he cared for his children, well for her and Kankuro anyway, but she also knew that he took his job as Kazekage seriously and he was willing to make the tough decisions for the greater good. "But for what it's worth..." said Naruto snapping her out of it. "I'm glad that I'm engaged to you. I really enjoy the time we spend together and I have a lot of hope for us in the future." he said with a smile. Temari smiled back softly from hearing that. "I feel the same Naruto." she told him.

"Ever since I first came to Konoha, nobody except for you and your family have worked as hard as you did to make me feel comfortable and welcome to the village when I needed it." she said reaching forward and placing a hand on Naruto's. "And when I needed someone to talk to in my hour of need, you were there. You sat and listened to me when I needed it and let me cry and let it all out. Naruto, you're the first real friend I've ever made since I came to Konoha and I'm grateful for you." she told him. Naruto smiled at that and the both of them would continue eating their breakfast. Once they'd eaten their morning meal, Naruto helped Temari with the dishes. She washed them so Naruto could dry and stack, then both would put them away.

Once that was all done, Temari decided that now was the time to talk with Naruto about something else that was on her mind. "Hey Naruto?" she said, getting the younger blonde to look up at her. "Yeah?" he replied. "Can you come with me to the living room? There's something else I'd like to talk to you about." she told him. Naruto nodded and followed her to the living room where they both took a seat on the sofa. Temari was feeling a little nervous now that they were about to discuss the subject, but she felt it was important that they talk about it now while they still had the chance so she stilled herself before speaking. "Naruto, I must ask, how do you feel about this, about us?" she asked him.

Naruto was quiet for a moment as he processed the question. "Well, I really enjoy all the time we spend together Temari." he replied. "All those dinners and movies or just enjoying the time we spend in general is really nice. Why?" he asked back. "This is something that I want to talk about Naruto, us." she replied. "Our wedding is a month and a half away, give or take and I wanna know if you're familiar with the... expectations." she explained. "Oh, well... I know that once you and I get married, we'll be sealing the deal between our villages." he replied. "Well there's that of course." she said nodding. "You and I will become the example of the peace between both our villages and the friendship between the Land of Fire and Wind." she explained.

"But there are other things that need to happen between us." she further explained. "Well, like what?" he asked her. "Well for starters, I'll need to have at least one child with you." she answered. She hoped she wasn't blushing in front of him when she said it. "A child born from our union will serve as proof of our commitments to our villages and to one another." she finished. Now Naruto was blushing a bit when she brought it up. He remembered his parents explaining that the two of them were gonna have to have at least one child together. It made him a little sad thinking that Temari would be forced into conceiving a baby from him just to prove that the marriage was solid. He didn't like idea of her doing something she probably wasn't ready for.

"Uh, yeah, Mom and Dad did explain shortly after the engagement that you and I were required to have a baby together sooner or later." he said nervously while rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, the good news is that you and I will have several years before a baby is required and I was hoping you felt the same about it as I do." she replied. "Personally, I'm not ready yet for pregnancy or motherhood and I think we're both a little too young to try having or raising children." she explained. "Yeah, that makes sense." he replied. "Still, this isn't something we can put on hold forever either." she continued. "If your Village Council is anything like mine, then there will be very impatient members who sooner or later, they will lay on the pressure." she finished.

"Temari, I want you to know I don't ever want to force you into doing something that you don't want to." he told her. He felt her gently place a hand on his in response to that. "I know." she replied with an understanding smile. "I know you well enough to believe that you'd never force me to do something like that. And I'm not saying that I don't wanna have children at all, I was hoping to have at least two one day. One boy and one girl." she explained. Naruto thought about that for a moment and smiled a little as the images of a little blonde boy and girl playing around in the house one day with him and Temari, both a little older, watching them with smiles on their faces. "Two sounds like a good number, yeah." he replies.

"Good, I'm glad we have an understanding." she responded. "But this brings up that last thing I wanted to talk to you about." she said, sounding a little more nervous. "...What?" he asked blinking. "Well, our... our wedding night." she said turning away shyly a bit, turning a bright shade of pink/red. Naruto looked at her for a moment, not really getting it, until the gears started turning in his head and it hit him. "Oh." he finally said, gulping nervously and turning just as red as his fiancee. "T-That." he said, looking down a moment. In addition to his parents having to explain that he and Temari would have to have a baby one day, he was also told about the wedding night between the bride and groom and how that was an important part as well.

He remembered getting "The Talk" from both his parents and it was undoubtedly the most uncomfortable experience of his young life. Minato and Kushina left no stones untouched in explaining everything on how men and women had sexual intercourse and how babies were conceived and born. "Naruto." she said getting him to snap out and look her in the eyes again. She had a gentle but firm look as she spoke to him. "You must understand that the wedding night is an important part of the union, even is this wasn't an arranged marriage." she told him. "Really? How so?" he asked not getting. "In some cultures, the union isn't official until the wedding night." she explained. She readjusted so she could face him squarely.

"Now the other parts of the wedding are important, of course." she continued. "There's the wedding ceremony, where the Bride and the Groom exchange their vows and the wedding reception, where everyone celebrates the union." she further explained. "But the wedding night in some ways, is even more important. When Husband and Wife come together and become one, that's what seals it. It's a very emotional and spiritual night for the newly wed couple." she finished. Naruto let that sink in for a moment. He thought on it and it made sense. A very close and powerful, bonding experience would kinda mean that the marriage was official. "And that's where we need to be Naruto." she said, getting his attention again.

"I have noticed in the past, when you and I have gone out together, whether it was to the movies or out to dinner, that you and I are still feeling a little awkward around each other." she explained. Naruto was a little uneasy after hearing that. "They weren't, bad dates were they?" he asked her. "Oh no! Not at all Naruto." she replied bringing her hands up to try and reassure him. "I enjoyed all the time we've spent together and you know it." she told him smiling. "But that's what I wanted to talk about. I think we're ready to take things a step further and work on getting closer to one another." she told him. "Closer?" he asked to which she nodded. "Yes Naruto, I want us both comfortable enough around each other so it's no longer awkward." she explained.

She took him gently by the hands and then looked back up into his shiny blue eyes. "Naruto, on our wedding night, I don't want us to have to... consummate the wedding because we feel like we have to." she told him. "I want us to make our first night together special because we want to." she told him. Naruto smiled at that, thinking that maybe he was gonna have a solid and happy marriage in life after all. "So, you want us to get closer?" he asked. "Well, the wedding is still over a month and a half away so we still have time." she replied. "I'm not saying we need to rush, but I have something I'd like to try real quick, if you'll bare with me." she said, standing up and pulling him up from his seat as well.

"W-What did you have in mind?" he asked a little nervously, seeing how close the older girl was standing before him. "Naruto." she said smiling and leaning in only a little bit. "Kiss me." she said softly. Naruto was surprised and he could feel his heartbeat rising in his chest from hearing her say that. Temari was nervous as well. She'd never kissed a man before in her life and even if this was her idea and she did want it, she could feel her heart thundering against her rib cage. Naruto leaned in a little, very slowly with a silent gulp from feeling nervous. When Temari saw him leaning in, she began leaning in as well and within moments after they closed their eyes, their lips met. Time froze between both blondes as they stood there, lips touching.

At first, nothing happened at all. But soon, they both got into the kiss and both found themselves really enjoying it. Temari thought she could taste ramen but she expected that and really didn't mind at all. She thought she could taste something else as well but couldn't put her finger on it. Naruto was amazed at how soft her lips were. He never thought that kissing a girl felt so good and he thought that Temari's breath tasted like strawberries. After for what seemed like forever between the two of them , they parted for some much needed air. "Wow." said the older blonde girl with some genuine surprise on her face. "That was great." squeaked Naruto with a grin making Temari laugh a bit from his reaction.

The former Suna ninja walked past him to head upstairs and get ready for the day at last. It was only a little past morning now and they both still had a lot to do today. "Naruto." said Temari, stopping halfway up the stairs and getting the younger blonde to look up at her. "Where did you learn to be such a good kisser?" she asked with her trademark smirk. "Uh... it comes naturally?" he replied shrugging his shoulders. "Well then." she said as she turned to head upstairs again. "I can say with full confidence that I'm glad our villages set me up with someone who's such a great kisser." she shouted down to him before he heard her bedroom door close. Naruto smiled brightly from the whole experience.

("If kissing my future wife is something to look forward to in a marriage, then I can't wait.") he thought as he headed upstairs to get his day started as well. Over the course of the following week, Naruto and Temari would practice their intimacy and work on getting closer and more comfortable. It was a little weird sometimes with Temari still being a little taller then Naruto, but she knew that wasn't his fault and that one day, she hoped that like his father Minato, Naruto would be just as tall. As they both got closer, she noticed that the kid was very handsome. Even if the 4th Hokage wasn't his father, she thought he was very good looking and honestly couldn't wait for him to hit his growth spurt. She could tell that he was gonna be very handsome.

Naruto felt a very similar experience while getting close to Temari. He thought she had the most beautiful teal green eyes ever and given that she was taller and more developed, he was very quickly finding out what he liked most on a woman's body. He was very quickly becoming a leg man, as well as a bit of an ass man too. But overall, her delicate figure was truly something else. After getting so close to her, Naruto was beginning to think that he was actually a pretty luck guy to have been set up with Temari.

[With Ino, Tenten And Hinata]

"Shut up, really?" asked Tenten, sitting at a table with Ino and Hinata at a tea house. "I'm telling you, the both of them are super close now." replied the blonde girl. "I've seen them all around the village. Naruto and Temari are doing everything that all couples do from holding hands, cuddling and kissing." she told her. Tenten and Hinata were genuinely surprised to hear that. Both of them for a while had felt a little sorry for both Naruto and Temari, both of them being forced into an arranged marriage between Konoha and Suna, but they figured that maybe you really can find happiness in such an arrangement. "Hey guys!" they all heard. Ino, Tenten and Hinata all turned the all too familiar voice.

"Hey Sakura, hey Sasuke!" greeted Tenten. "Would you two like to join us?" she offered. "Thanks, but Sasuke-Kun and I have somewhere we're heading." replied the pinkette. Ino was looking at the members of Team 7 as if they both had lobsters coming out of their ears. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" screamed Ino, pointing at Sakura and Sasuke. "What?" asked Sakura with a smug. "Can we go now?" asked Sasuke, already getting annoyed with this. "Why are you holding hands with Sasuke-Kun?!" cried the angry blonde, pointing at the others, who's fingers were laced together. "What's the big deal Pig?" asked Sakura tilting her head a little. "Isn't that what boyfriends and girlfriends do?" she asked.

"WHAT?!" she screamed in response. ("Heh heh heh! That's right Pig, Sasuke-Kun's all mine now! CHAAAAA!") roared Inner Sakura.

[Author's Notes] As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories and I look forward to reading your thoughts on it :-)


	14. News From Home

[Naruto And Temari's House]

The last couple of weeks have been very progressive for Naruto and Temari. Both of them have been practicing their efforts in getting closer and more intimate. It started out awkward sometimes but they soon took to it like fish to water. The most intimate thing they've done yet was share the outside Onsen together. Even if they were both wearing swimsuits, it was still something that made Naruto blush a bright red when Temari entered the bath with him. She was wearing a one piece bathing suit, but it was still the most of her skin he'd ever seen. Temari teased him only a little at how red he blushed but at the same time, was quite flattered that he thought she was so beautiful and attractive.

Furthermore, the two of them have gotten really comfortable with and around one another. Often times, they'd offer to give each other a back, shoulder or foot massage as a way to show gratitude or affection. Other times, they'd sit next to one another rather then across like they used to during their meals. They went on dates like romance movies, (Naruto didn't really care too much for that stuff but Temari ate it up) as well as sight seeing and romantic dinners. By now, the young couple were perfectly comfortable with holding hands, cuddling, hugging and kissing. Even in public view they could do so and not think twice about it. At home, the two would find themselves talking for hours and hours on end.

Training together did a lot of good for them as well. Temari had seen that Naruto had really improved in his Wind Chakra training. He still couldn't cut the rock in half just yet, but he could summon wind chakra easy now and she even saw him forming cracks on the stone. Once he got this jutsu down, she could teach him some of the real stuff like she'd been taught. From what she knew about her fiancee, he was very skilled in close quarter combat, especially with a Ninjaken Sword. Temari believed that once he could figure out how to focus his wind chakra properly and channel it through his blade, he'd he a devastating force on the battlefield. If she ever had any doubts about Naruto being Minato's son, they were long gone.

Another things they both noticed was they'd often spend a lot of time just watching one another. Temari noticed that he'd just watch her as she did her own things when he thought she didn't notice. She didn't want to believe he was perving on her of course. She knew him well enough to know that he fully respected her both as a person and as a kunoichi. That said, she could tell that he did desire her and that was something she found actually really exciting. Conversely, Temari would often find herself watching Naruto as well. Whether he was training or going on with his usual antics, she'd find herself watching him all the time. Temari really admired the little guy and enjoyed all the time they spent together.

This morning, Naruto and Temari were busy getting ready to head to the Hokage's office. They received a message from an Anbu Guard not long ago and were told to meet as soon as they could. So there they were, putting their gear on and getting ready to speak with Naruto's father.

"You about ready to go?" Temari asked, setting her fan on her back.

"Just about." he replied, strapping his sword over his shoulders.

Temari just finished putting her hitai ate around her neck then turned to her betrothal. "Any idea why your Dad wants us in his office so early in the morning?" she asked him. "This is probably the first time we've been summoned so suddenly since I joined Team 7." she added.

"Dad has only summoned me like this once before shortly after I graduated the academy." he replied.

"Why did he summon you?" she asked.

"To yell at me." he replied with a smirk.

This surprised her without a doubt. "What did you do?" she asked.

"I painted graffiti all over the Hokage Stone Monument the night before, including his face." he told her.

This shocked Temari very much. "Why the hell would you do that?!" she asked with a stunned look. "You had to know that you were gonna get in trouble for it." she told him.

"Oh believe me, I did." he replied, putting his arms behind his head and grinning. "Mom and Dad both were so mad, they both yelled at me for over an hour before they finally decided that they yelled enough. Then they told me how proud they were of me for graduating when I did." he explained.

"Why would you do something like that in the first place?" she asked him.

"Because it was fun." he replied. "It's the stuff that can get you into trouble that's the most fun." he told her.

Temari wasn't quite convinced. "I don't know. If I were to have done something like that back home, my Father would have spat hot coals." she explained.

"It's not like he would have killed you though right?" he asked.

"Well...no." she replied.

Naruto only sneered. "Then I gotta take you out one night to pull some pranks on some people." he told her. "It's a lot more fun then you think it is and if you're as skilled a ninja as I believe you are, then we can even get away with it." he told her.

Temari was quite for a moment then smiled and rolled her eyes. "Come on, we need to go and meet your Dad." she told him and soon they were out the door.

[Hokage Tower]

Naruto held hands with his bride and chatted with her while they walked. They continued doing so right up until they stood right outside the door to the Hokage's office. Temari then let go of his hand and turned to him before they'd enter.

"Okay, now's where we need to take things more seriously." she told him.

"Oh come on Temari." replied Naruto. "It's not like Dad's gonna have a problem with us acting like couple." he told her.

"That is true." she responded. "But also bear in mind that we're expected to act professional in the presence of our village leader and we don't know who else will be in his office. He may have summoned us for a mission so let's act like ninja for now." she explained.

Naruto sighed at that. "Yeah okay." he replied. He knew she was right and all it he figured it had to do with both of them being the children of village leaders.

"But yeah, I enjoy holding hands with you too." she told him with a smile.

Temari then knocked on the door and waited for a reply to which she heard the Hokage granting permission for them to enter. Temari then entered the room followed by Naruto who closed the door behind them. The young couple saw Minato behind his desk with Kushina there behind her husband. Minato was pleased to learn that lately, things have only gotten better for his son and future daughter in law.

"Naruto, Temari, I'm glad you're both here and the first to arrive." he greeted them. "The rest of your team and the teams I've summoned will arrive here soon but I wanted to talk to the both of you first." he told them.

"What's up Dad?" asked Naruto.

"News from Suna." he replied which really got Temari's attention. "Suna has finally chosen their 5th Kazekage." he told them.

"Really?" asked the former Suna ninja. "Who is he?" she asked her soon to be father in law.

Minato smiled and leaned forward in chair. "Your Brother Gaara." he replied.

Both young blondes were at a loss for words now. Temari knew that Suna had been dragging their feet for a while in choosing the new village leader and she herself heard quite a few names suggested, but even she didn't think that the person chosen would be her baby brother. Naruto was just as surprised as Temari was. Since Naruto was very little, four maybe, he always wanted to be Hokage like his dad. Now Gaara was gonna be the same thing he was aiming for. Given that both of them lead difficult lives since they're both Jinchuuriki, he was now feeling very happy that he was gonna receive the same respect he was aiming for. He also found himself a little envious of him too. Becoming Hokage was his dream and life goal.

"Y-You're kidding me." Temari said finally with a small smile curving her lips.

"No Temari, he's not." replied Kushina. "Gaara is gonna be the Godaime Kazekage of Suna." she told her.

"This is awesome!" cheered Naruto who was really happy for his friend and soon to be brother in law.

Minato sat back in his desk and smiled as Naruto and Temari took the news. "Gaara's messenger had informed us that he's invited both of you to Suna for in inauguration ceremony." he told them. "I'm gonna go over it with everyone else once they've assembled but I wanted to tell the both of you first." he explained.

"Thank you Hokage-Sama." replied Temari happily.

"Of course." he replied. "Both you and Naruto have been invited to Suna to attend his ceremony where he's named Kazekage. Once I finish my meeting with all the teams I'm expecting, you'll be getting packed and ready to go." he informed them.

Kushina then decided she wanted to change the subject and speak to them about their relationship. "Naruto, Temari, I wanted to talk to the both of you." she said, getting their attention. "How have you both been doing? Are things going well between you both?" she asked them.

Naruto smiled brightly and placed hands behind his head while Temari smiled and did her best not to blush. "Things are doing great." she replied.

[Twenty Minutes Later]

Minato sat behind his desk ready to address everyone who had been assembled. His wife had to go home and take care of a few things so he was left with his son, Temari, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, Neji Hyuuga, Tenten and Rock Lee.

"Everyone, thank you for coming." said the Hokage to those gathered. "I've already spoken to Naruto and Temari about this not long ago and now I'm going to share some important news with all of you." he told them.

"What is it Hokage-Sama?" asked Neji.

"We have just been informed that Suna has chosen their Fifth Kazekage." he answered.

Shikamaru raised a brow at that. "They certainly took their sweet time." he remarked. "Who's their new village leader?" he asked.

"Temari's own Brother, Gaara." he replied which surprised everyone there.

Minato took a moment to watch and listen among those gathered. There were mixed reactions to the news obviously. Mostly, they were shocked that Gaara who was no older than they were, maybe younger, had been made the Kazekage to one of the five greatest villages in the world.

"With that in mind." he said, getting everyone's attention again. "Naruto and Temari have both been invited to Suna to attend his recognition ceremony. So this is where you all come in. I'm appointing all of you to act as their escorts." he informed them.

"With resepcted Hokage-Sama, why us?" asked Shikamaru. "You have to have more skilled and experienced shinobi for this task then us." he told him.

"I have considered assembling a full team of Jonin and even Anbu Black Ops for the task that's true." he replied. "But my problem is most of them are currently serving important missions elsewhere, with the exception of Kurenai Yuhi of Team 8 who's been placed on medical leave." he told them.

Naruto and Temari didn't know this. "Why's Kurenai-Sensei off the roster?" asked Naruto. "Is she okay?"

Kiba smirked and answered for him. "Sensei's pregnant." he told him which was almost as surprising as Gaara's rise to Kazekage. "Since then, we've been training with Gai." he added.

"Kiba is correct." said Minato, getting everyone to look in his direction once more. "With so many who're unavailable because they're on missions or medical leave, I need what higher level ninja here to maintain security." he said then leaning back in his seat. "With that in mind, I also believe you're more than capable of this job. You're not going on any extremely demanding mission, you're taking a trip to another village." he told them.

"When do we leave?" asked Ino.

"Once you're finished here, head home and pack up. You'll have three hours before you're out the gates and on your way." he told them. "Now remember, this may be a simple escort mission, but you have been chosen to see to the safety of both my Son and future Daughter in law. I expect you all to do your jobs well. Any questions?" he asked. Nobody responded or raised their hands. "Then be ready to go in three hours, I'll see you all again in a few days. Naruto, Temari, if you could stay?" he asked while everyone else was dismissed.

Soon, Naruto and Temari were the only ones left in the room with Minato. "What's up Dad?" he asked.

"You should know that your Mother and I will be arriving in Suna as well." he told his son. "Both of us were invited as well." he explained.

"Oh wow that's cool!" said Naruto getting excited. "So you and Mom are coming to see Gaara at Suna too?" he asked to which Minato nodded.

"When will you be leaving?" she asked her soon to be father in law.

"I have a few things I need to take care of as Hokage before I can leave." he replied. "I have to choose someone I can trust to run the village while I'm gone and I have to help Kushina pack." he told her.

"Then I guess we'll be seeing each other again at Suna." said Naruto.

"We will indeed." replied Minato. "Now both of you head home and get ready to go." he ordered.

Minato watched as Naruto and Temari bowed and then exited the room. Once they were gone, he sent out a very subtle ripple of charka as a signal.

"Hokage-Sama." said an Anbu who appeared, bowing to his village leader.

"Send for Jiraiya." he ordered to which the Anbu then vanished.

[Konoha's Gates]

All teams were now gathered at the gates of the village. Everyone there had their own bags with all the things they'd need from night cloths, food, soup, shampoo and conditioner to oral care products and toiletries. It was decided that Shikamaru would take charge, being the only chunin among them. The plan he laid out was simple. It was gonna take about five days to get to Suna so they'd make two different camps and stay at three different hotels, the first they'd stay at on the first night at the end of the day.

"Alright, does anyone have anything else they need to take care of before we leave?" asked Shikamaru to the teams. "And if not, does anyone else have any questions?" he asked as well.

Neji was the one to speak out among them. "Is there a formation we're to travel in?" he asked him. "We are charged by the Hokage to see to the safety and well being of his Son and future Daughter in law." he said, referring to Naruto and Temari.

"Actually yeah, there is." replied Shikamaru, glad that someone brought it up. "I need Team 8 to take the front. Kiba's sense of smell, Hinata's Byakugan and Shino's insects are important in scouting ahead in case of an ambush. My team will follow with Ino, Choji and I able to use strong combination attacks for a second wave of attack in case of an attack from the front. Team 7 will follow us with Naruto and Temari first, followed by Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke's Sharingan and Naruto's Kage Bunshin are not only good in a follow up attack in case of an ambush from the front, but also for defensive tactics should we be attacked from either side. Temari's own skill in wind style ninjutsu is also good for ranged combat in case it's needed." he explained.

"Lastly, Neji, Tenten and Lee will have the rear. Lee's speed and heavy attacks are valuable because of his ability to offer aid to anyone within the formation." he continued. "Tenten's skills in marksmanship allows for excellent cover in an ambush and lastly, Neji's Byakugan allows him to see a threat coming from every angle and from several miles. This is why I've arranged for a Hyuuga to serve in both the front and the rear." he finished. "Any other questions?" he asked, waiting for them to come up with anything else. "Then let's go." he ordered and everyone was out the gates.

[Hokage's Office]

Minato sat behind his desk with Koharu to his left and Homura to his right. Jiraiya stood before him and the old toad sage had his arms crossed and look on his face that told him he was really thinking about it.

"Sensei." said Minato, getting him to look back up at his student.

"Minato, I know why you're asking me and all and I know it's important..." he responded. "But you know I'm not the sort of person for the job of Hokage, even if it's just temporary." he told him.

"It would be for only a few weeks Sensei." said Minato. "Kushina and I have been invited to Suna to see Gaara named Fifth Kazekage and we need to go to improve relations between our villages." he explained. "You're one of the Sannin and my Sensei. The people know you and will respect your authority while I'm away." he finished.

"If you want one of the Sannin to act as Hokage, why not ask Tsunade?" Jiraiya suggested. "She's both one of the Sannin and the Granddaughter of the First Hokage. The people love her and would accept her with open arms and hearts." he told him.

"I don't fault you for thinking the idea." replied Minato, sitting back in his chair. "But you know as well as I do that she wouldn't do it. I wouldn't be able to convince her, you wouldn't be able to, hell I doubt even Kushina could do it and she's loves arguing more than any woman I've ever known. Jiraiya-Sensei, it has to be you." he told him.

"There has to be someone else for the job." said Jiraiya, trying to protest. "I want to help you out, but I'm not the kind of guy for this job." he told him.

"Then the only other person for the job I can talk to is Danzo." said Minato.

"...Never mind, I'll do it." replied Jiraiya.

Minato smiled at the reply. He hated having to twist Jiraiya's arm like that but this wasn't going to be as bad as he thought it would be.

Minato got up from his chair, walked around his desk and placed his hand on his teacher and friend's shoulder. "You won't be alone in this Sensei." he said with a warm grin. "Koharu and Homura have agreed to help you out while I'm away." he said to reassure him.

It was then both elders stepped forward. "Minato is right." said Koharu. "We'll be helping you settle into office once Minato and Kushina leave in the next few days." she told him.

"Both of us have offered our council and guidance to Hiruzen while he was Third Hokage and we've worked with Minato since he's taken the role as the Fourth. We'll assist you in your temporary role as Acting Hokage." said Homura.

Jiraiya smiled at that. Although he didn't like the idea of having to run the village as Hokage, even if it was only for a few weeks, he was glad that he was gonna have help. Just then, the door swung wide open and a chunin barged in.

"Hokage-Sama! Lady Kushina has been rushed to the Hospital!" shouted the young man.

Minato's eyes shot wide open at that. "What?! What for?!" he asked, worried for his wife.

"I'm afraid I don't know sir, but I was told she collapsed while at the local markets and was rushed in by her Anbu Guards." he explained.

Minato dashed past his sensei and down the halls as fast as he could to Konoha General to see what happened to his wife.

[On The Roads]

It had been a couple of hours now since all the teams had departed from the gates of Konoha and they were now on the road to Suna. Each team was about ten or twenty feat apart so as not to be all attacked at once in case of an ambush. While an ambush actually seemed unlikely, ninja had to be prepared for anything and Shikamaru, although lazy at times, wasn't someone who you could win a logical argument with often. At the head of the troop, Shino, Kiba and Hinata were leading the way. While they walked, Kiba and Hinata were talking and flirting a bit. Hinata giggled a bit when Kiba told her about how he and his older sister Hana were in the middle of a prank war with one another.

"I kid you not Hinata-Chan, you should have seen the look on her face when she tasted it!" he boasted, telling her how he got back at her for putting laxatives in his food once by switching out the sugar with salt so she'd be tricked into putting salt into her coffee instead.

Hinata giggled again. "Kiba-Kun, that's very funny. But don't you think that may have been a bit far?" she asked, thinking that maybe ruining someone's morning wasn't the most tasteful revenge.

"Hey, I was stuck on the crapper for over an hour and a half because of her the night before." he replied. "If I really wanted to get even, I would have slipped her some laxatives and then removed all the toilet paper from the restroom so she'd be stuck on the toilet til Mom got home." he explained. "This way, we can say we're even and then call a truce once we get home." he added.

"Oh, Kiba-Kun, I just remembered something important." said Hinata, wanting to change the subject.

"And what's that?" he asked her.

"Father wanted me to tell you something." she replied with a smile.

Kiba wasn't liking the sound of this at all. 'Great. Just what I need. Father dearest to look down his nose at me again like all Hyuuga do to those who're not a member of their Clan.' he thought bitterly.

"Father wanted me to tell you that he was very impressed with how you presented yourself at dinner yesterday evening." she said happily, surprising Kiba.

"He...was impressed?" asked the Inuzuka boy, almost not believing it.

"Oh yes, he said you were very proper and civil." she replied. "He actually told me once you left, that he was looking forward to having you over for dinner again another night." she told him.

Kiba had to smile at that. "Well, I'll have to tell him thanks next time we see each other in person." he told her. "I have to admit, I didn't think a Hyuuga would be so complimentary to an Inuzuka." he added.

"...Kiba-Kun?" he heard, looking over to see Hinata's smile drop. "Do you...not really like my Father?" she asked him.

"W-What?" he asked back. "No of course not." he replied, then wrapping his arm around her and bringing her close to him while they walked and talked. "I mean, he can be a little too demanding for my taste, but that's probably because the Inuzuka Clan are more laid back and easy going." he explained.

Hinata smiled again. "I hope you don't feel like his attitude is coming from a bad place." she replied. "It's not that the Hyuuga are like that because we like to be, it's just that he's simply looking out for me and wants what's best." she told him. "But he really does like you Kiba-Kun." she added.

"Well hey, even if he didn't, it's not him I'm concerned with." said Kiba. "You're all that matters to me Hinata-Chan." he told her.

Kiba and Hinata looked one another in the eyes while they walked and then both blushed a little as they leaned in to share a kiss.

"Would you two like some time to yourselves?" asked Shino who they forgot was walking right behind them the whole time.

Both young teens nearly jumped out of their skins when their nearly silent teammate spoke up, reminding them that they weren't alone. Hinata was now blushing a hot pinkish red while Kiba had a more irritated face. 'Way to ruin the moment asshole.' he thought bitterly.

Behind Team Kurenai, Shikamaru, Choji and Ino walked with the newest chunin up front and his teammates behind him. From time to time, Ino would glance back for a moment or two, then look back ahead quite angry like. Shikamaru noticed this as well, even without looking back to know she was doing this. He didn't say anything at all though because he knew what was getting under her skin. Choji however was more concerned for his teammate so he decided to break the silence between them.

"Ino, is something bothering you?" he asked the blonde girl to his left.

'Oh Kami, he had to ask.' Shikamaru thought, knowing the both of them were now gonna get an earful of how much Ino hated Sakura and how she thought it was totally unfair that she got Sasuke in the end instead of her.

"I can't stand it!" she snapped. "Every time I see them now, she acts all love struck and flirty with him and he's actually dating her now." she complained. "What did Forehead do to finally win him over that I didn't try?" she asked.

'Choji, you're an idiot.' thought Shikamaru who's eye was twitching. 'This is so troublesome. Now we're both gonna have to listen to her all the way to Suna.' he complained inwardly.

Next in line came Naruto and Temari who were walking side by side and talking. Naruto noticed that his bride hadn't stopped smiling since they left Konoha.

"You seem to be in a really good mood." Naruto commented.

"And what makes you say that?" she asked him but already knowing the answer.

"You've been smiling ever since Dad told us the news from Suna." he replied. "But I can hardly blame you. It's been nearly two months since you moved to Konoha and I'll bet you've been wanting to see Suna something awful." he told her.

"You can say that again." she said, looking forward as they continued walking together. "Please don't take this the wrong way at all Naruto, I have nothing against Konoha at all and I really like it there, the village and your family." she told him, seeing him smile from the compliment she gave him for his home. "But more than anything else, I really miss Suna. I miss the warm sun on my skin and the gentle eastern breeze." she said, looking forward again with such a nostalgic look in her eyes.

"I'll bet." Naruto responded. "If I was forced to leave Konoha and live somewhere else for a long time, I'd miss it too." he told her.

Naruto then felt her reach forward and gently take him by the hand.

"Well for what it's worth, if you were the one being forced to move and not me, I would work just as hard to make sure you felt welcome in Suna as you did for me since I moved." she told him.

Naruto smiled and gently squeezed her hand. "You'll be sure to show me around once we get there right?" he asked. "I wanna see what Suna's really like." he told her.

"And I'd be delighted to show you my home and all the wonderful things about it." she replied.

"It's a date." he said grinning with her smiling in reply.

Behind the both of them who're now walking hand in hand, Sasuke and Sakura walked and watched them from a short distance.

"See Sasuke-Kun? Naruto and Temari aren't afraid to hold hands." she said, leaning into him and batting her eyelashes.

Sasuke sighed and lifted his arm up so she could cling to him. 'Why do girls have to be so needy?' he asked himself as Sakura clung to his arm while they walked.

Lastly, Neji, Tenten and Lee guarded the rear of the troop and passed the time by talking as well. Mostly, the discourse was between Tenten and Lee. Neji kept his focus straight ahead.

"Hey Tenten, I wanna ask you something." said the green clad ninja.

"Hm?" she replied.

"Have things been settled between you and Temari since she moved to Konoha for her engagement to Naruto?" he asked her.

"Um, yeah I guess. Why do you ask?" she asked back.

"I would have thought that maybe you still had a score to settle since she beat you during the Chunin Exams months ago." he told her which he immediately regretted seeing how her mood dropped.

"Why does everyone have to keep bringing that up?" she asked in frustration. "Look, when two ninjas fight, one of them wins, the other loses. I'm fine with it, I don't wanna live on it, I just wanna move on with my life and let it go." she snapped.

"Tenten, forgive me I..." Lee began, worrying about his friend since she seemed upset.

Tenten sighed then smiled. "No Lee it's fine." she told him. "I shouldn't have gotten so worked up over it, but I'm okay now." she told him. "But now I wanna know, why do you ask?" she asked him.

"I've noticed that on our days off, you've been spending a lot of time with her." he replied "Are you two becoming friends now?" he asked.

"I guess you could say that." she replied with a shrug. "She can be very cool to hang out with once you take the time to get to know her." she told him. "Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't one thing that needs to be settled either. She and I are gonna have a rematch soon and this time, I'm the one who'll come out on top." she said with up most confidence.

"That is the Fiery Spirit of Youth!" he cheered, feeling his own blood boil now. "What do you think Neji, would you wanna have a rematch against Naruto to better improve yourself and your Spirit of Youth?" he asked his other teammate.

Neji didn't reply but kept on looking ahead. "Neji?" asked Tenten.

It was then Neji responded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ignore either of you. Could you ask again?" he asked them.

"What's got you so distracted Neji?" asked Tenten.

"I was just watching Lady Hinata with...Kiba." he replied.

"Oh, I think they're both really cute together." she beamed.

"I honestly can't understand why Lord Hiashi would allow it." he said. "Kiba is completely out of control and hardly someone of the Hyuuga standard." he pointed out.

"That's a pretty harsh way to judge Kiba Neji." Lee replied.

"Yeah Neji, you should be willing to give him a chance." said Tenten. "I've seen the both of them and I can tell that Hinata really cares for Kiba and he cares for her too. Now I won't pretend to understand how Hyuuga politics work, but clearly your Uncle seems to like him and is willing to give him a chance and I think you should do the same." she finished.

Neji let out a sigh and then smiled. "Perhaps you're right." he replied. "Truth told, I haven't seen her so happy for a long time and if Kiba's the one who's having such a positive impact on her, then maybe I should be happy for them both." he concluded.

The teams all kept on walking to their first hotel, unaware of the hawk that flew right over them.

[Konoha General]

Minato burst through the doors of the hospital and ran straight up to the front desk. The young lady behind was surprised to see her Hokage rush in so quickly and look so distraught.

"Where is my Wife?" he asked her frantically.

"Lady Kushina is on the third floor right now." she replied. "Room 3-A. Tsunade-Sama is with her." she told him.

Minato dashed past her and to the stairs in a flash. Within minutes, he was at the room and burst in, now a bit winded from his trip there. Inside, he saw Kushina laying down in a bed with Tsunade and Shizune talking with her. The funny thing was, all three ladies seemed very happy.

"Kushina." said Minato in between breaths.

His lovely wife turned and smiled to her husband, seeing the worry in his eyes but still smiled. "Minato." she replied happily.

"Are you alright Kushina?" he asked, walking up to the bed where she rested. "I heard you collapsed today and it scared me senseless." he told her.

"Minato, I couldn't be better." she said, sitting back up in her bed now.

"I ran a test on a hunch Minato." said Tsunade who was smiling as well. "And the results were positive." she told him.

"What results?" he asked her.

Kushina stood up and took her husband's hands in hers. "Minato, I'm pregnant." she said blissfully.

To say Minato was stunned would have been a monumental understatement. "Kushina...wha..." he asked, not being able to put the words together correctly.

"We're gonna have a baby Minato." she said happily, leaning into his arms and hugging him.

A smile finally spread across his lips and he hugged her back happily. "But Kushina, I don't understand." he said, parting with her to look her in the eyes. "After the incident with the Kyuubi years ago, we were told you could never have children again." he said, remembering what the doctor told them.

"Well, maybe her body simply need more time to recover from the damage before she'd be ready to conceive again." said Tsunade.

"Minato, it's a miracle." she said happily once more.

"Be that as it may, I need to speak with both of you." said Tsunade, getting the full attention of Minato and his Wife. "As I understand it, you're making preparations to go to Suna, is that right?" she asked him.

"Yes, I have a few things I'll need to go over with Jiraiya so he can act as Hokage in my stead, but I plan on leaving with Kushina in the next two days." he answered.

"And that's what I need to speak with you about." she told him. "I can't allow Kushina to accompany you on the trip to Suna. You can go, but Kushina needs to stay here in Konoha for her safety." said the blonde medic ninja.

"What?" he asked. "But both of us have been invited to the village for the ceremony in which Gaara becomes Kazekage. I can't just leave her here while I leave." he protested.

"Minato it's fine." said Kushina. "Tsunade says she needs to keep an eye on me so something like what happened earlier today won't happen again. A trip to the desert in my current condition would be bad for me and the baby." she explained.

"Kushina is right." said Shizune. "This isn't like her pregnancy with Naruto. Her body has changed from when she used to be a Jinchuuriki. We need to take every possible precaution now." she told him.

Minato let out a sigh at that. "I was really hoping we could surprise our Son with the news though." he said to his wife. "Naruto's always wanted a little Brother or Sister and now we can finally share this wonderful news with him." he told her.

"Then just keep it under wraps til he comes back with you." said Kushina, already wondering what Naruto's reaction would be. "We'll tell him together and surprise both him and Temari." she told him.

"Alright." he agreed. "But what about you? Will you be okay while I'm gone?" he asked her.

"I've offered for her to stay with Shizune and me at my house til you get back." said Tsunade. "Both of us will keep her safe and comfortable." she told him.

Minato smiled brightly. "Naruto's in for a real surprise when he comes home." he said.

[At An Inn On The Road]

It was the evening now and everyone was currently at an Inn they planned on staying during the trip. Naruto and the boys were all washing up before bed in the men's side of the bathhouse and talking to pass the time. After about an hour or two of talking training and missions or what not, Choji decides to change the subject.

"Hey Naruto, can I ask you something?" asked the Akimichi boy to the Hokage's son.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" he asked back.

"Are things going okay between you and Temari?" he asked him. "I mean, I have no idea how it must feel to be forced into an arranged marriage." he confessed.

Since he asked, all the other boys were a little curious now of Naruto's relationship with the former Suna girl. Naruto smiled brightly and leaned forward with his elbows on his lap.

"Things are actually going great between us." he answered. "Temari and I go out on dates like movies and dinners and such, we spend hours talking all the time, we have fights from time to time but hey, my Parents fight too so that's normal." he told them.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say the you've gotten quite close to one another." said Neji.

"It would be interesting to say the least, if two people who were forced into an arrange marriage actually did fall in love." said Lee.

"Do you love her?" asked Shikamaru.

"Why do you all wanna know?" Naruto asked with a brow raised.

Choji and Kiba burst into laughter at Naruto's reaction to Shikamaru's question.

"You love her man admit it!" said Kiba teasing Naruto who blushed a bit then smiled. "I knew it! You're in love with Temari." he boasted to his friend.

Naruto kept on being teased about it by the other guys while Sasuke sat off to the side, drying himself off.

On the opposite side of the wall that separated the men from the ladies, all the girls had just finished bathing and were now drying off and getting dressed into their nighttime wear. Temari had just clipped her bra on while she was talking with Tenten when Ino walked up with an all too familiar grin on her face.

"Temari?" asked the young Yamanaka girl to the Kazekage's daughter.

Temari raised a brow at the suspicious look on the younger blondes face. "Yes?" she asked, now putting on her nightgown.

"Do you love Naruto?" she asked plainly and smiled brightly as Temari turned a bright shade of hot pink.

"W-W-What?" she asked back.

Ino's smile grew only more mischievous from Temari's reaction to the question she asked her. "I asked, do you love Naruto?" she asked again.

Temari noticed that all the other girls were watching her now as they too were curious. Finally, she let out a gentle sigh and smiled. "Naruto and I have gotten very close to one another yes." she replied. "I think he's a wonderful man and I'm very happy that our villages have brought us both together." she told him.

"But that's not what I asked you." said Ino. "I've seen the both of you from time to time. I've seen how you two act on your dates and I've seen how you look at him and how he looks at you. You have to admit it, you love him don't you?" he asked.

Temari tried her best to keep her composure but Ino read it all over her face. "Wow, look at that blush." said Sakura. "You're in love with him Temari and you know it."

There was some giggling between Sakura and Ino but Tenten interrupted. "Hey come guys, leave her alone now." she said. "Temari's relationship with Naruto isn't something to be made fun of or for our entertainment." she said which convinced Sakura and Ino to finally back off.

Temari smiled at the brunette who helped her out of that. "I appreciate that Tenten." said the older blonde. "I don't understand why they think it's a joke that my Fiancee and I are getting closer." she told her.

"Not a problem." replied Tenten.

Temari looked down for a second then back up to Tenten. "Can I ask you something?" she asked her.

"I don't mind, sure." replied Tenten.

"I was wondering if you'll be my Maiden of Honor for my Wedding." said Temari.

Tenten was actually a bit surprised by that. "You want me to be you're Maiden of Honor?" she asked back. "Why would you wanna ask me?"

Temari smirked. "I haven't a ton of friends in Konoha and I actually do enjoy your company the most. Sakura's very nice and all, but I want to ask you because we have a bit more of a history together. It just seems fitting, y'know?" she asked.

Tenten smiled from her friend's request. "I would be honored to be your Maiden of Honor." she told her.

"I hope you mean that." replied Temari, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Once you say yes, there's no going back." she told her.

"I'll be there." she told her back.

"Good." Temari replied.

In the room where all the boys would be staying, Naruto asked Kiba off to the side so they could speak in private. "What's up man?" the Inuzuka boy asked.

"I wanted to ask you something." Naruto told him. "Something very important." he added.

"Oh?" replied Kiba.

"I wanted to ask if you'll be my Best Man for my Wedding." Naruto told him.

Kiba was quite surprised by that. "You're asking me?" he replied.

"You're one of my oldest friends from when we were very little." Naruto told him. "Next to Sasuke, I've known you longer than anyone else among us and I'd be really happy if you'd say yes." he told him.

"Well, why haven't you asked Sasuke then?" Kiba asked him. "He's your Teammate so I would have thought he'd be the first you'd ask." he said plainly.

Naruto had a bit of a disappointed look before answering. "Actually, I've already asked Sasuke and he said no." he replied.

"What? Why would he refuse?" Kiba asked with a brow raised.

"He didn't really give me a reason. He just said he's not interested in doing it." Naruto explained.

"Well I can't understand why he'd refuse, I would have considered it an Honor." he told him.

"Yeah, I don't wanna sound like I'm only asking you as a back up Kiba, but the only other people to ask are you, Bushy Brow or Neji." he told him.

Kiba smiled and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, I'd be honored to be your Best Man." Kiba told him.

Naruto smiled back. "Thanks Kiba, I knew I could count on you." he replied.

"Now come on." said Kiba turning back to the room where they'll be staying that night. "We're all just about ready to go and get something to eat." he told him.

Naruto nodded and followed his friend back to meet back up with the rest of the guys. A couple of hours later, when everyone had their fill, Naruto excused himself to head to the restroom. Once he'd finished, he was a little surprised to find Temari waiting for him just outside the dinning room. She had a smile on her face which by now, Naruto knew she wanted something from him.

"Temari? Is everything alright?" he asked. "You look like you want something from me." he told his bride.

Temari smiled and walked forward, standing just a foot apart from him. "I just wanted to see you before we called it a night." she told him. "Dinner is about finished and soon we'll be heading off to bed. We gotta get up early tomorrow because we're gonna have to travel twice as far as today to cover enough ground before we set up camp." she explained.

Naruto smiled. "Well, I'm happy for a chance to speak with you sure." he told her. It was then he smiled brighter. "Or was talking not the only thing you had on your mind?" he asked her.

Temari blushed a bit before looking away then back to him with a smirk. "I was hoping for one of your very special "Good Nights" before we go to bed." she told him. "Lately, you've been getting very good at it and I'd love to have one before bed." she said with a sultry smile.

Naruto shrgged his shoulders as Temari placed her hands on his chest and gently backed him up against the wall. "Gee Temari, do I have to?" he asked her playfully.

Temari giggled and leaned in til their faces were only inches apart. "Yes you do little Mr. Yes you do." she replied and then closed the gap with a kiss.

Naruto and Temari kissed gently at first, with Temari's hands to Naruto's left and right on the wall behind him while he held her close to him. Then the kiss picked up a bit more when he felt her tongue tapping his teeth, awaiting permission to enter. Naruto granted her entry by opening his mouth a bit more and felt her warm slippery tongue enter past his teeth. Temari smiled into the kiss as well when she felt his tongue enter and begin to explore her mouth as well. Soon, Temari brought her hands closer till she held his face in her hands while she felt his hands run up and down her form. The two would swivel their tongues around within one another's mouths till finally, both parted to catch their breaths, with a small stream of saliva still connecting their lips.

Temari gently stroked his cheeks and he held her close as they gazed into one another's eyes blissfully. "You're only getting better and better at this." she told him.

"Speak for yourself Temari." replied Naruto. "Part of me is a afraid I'll be up all night long thinking about this kiss while the other part wants to." he told her.

Temari chuckled and parted from her groom. "I need to get to bed, I'll see you in the morning." she said with a wink and turning to head to her room with the girls.

Naruto smiled and watched as she swayed her hips while she left. "G'night." he said with his eyes still focused on her rear end.

Both Naruto and Temari would sleep soundly that night with many romantic dreams and fantasies.

[Elsewhere]

In a cave on the edges of the Land of Fire, a single figure sat outside and waited, sitting in a lotus position. It was then a hawk flew up to her to which she extended her wrist for it to perch. Her hands and wrists were clad in steel arm guards and clawed gloves which shined in the pale light of the moon.

"What news?" she asked her pet from under her hood.

Behind her, her team leader walked up once he noticed the hawk they were waiting on. "Mikaa?" he asked.

Under her hood, the woman with the hawk smiled. "The targets have left Konoha earlier today." she replied. "They're en route to Sunagakure." she told him.

Her boss smiled wickedly from the news. "Then tomorrow they die." he said with a sneer.

[Author's Notes] Like I mentioned earlier, I'm changing the writing style to my newest one. This one had proven to be the most popular so I'm gonna work with this one from here on out. Furthermore, I also plan on rewriting and replacing all the previous chapters with the same writing style as this one. Before anyone thinks it's not something to reread once it's done, bear in mind two things. First of all, I plan on adding extra content that wasn' there before to make ths story seem even more unpredictable. Secondly, I'm going to drastically change the first three chapters entirely. I'm doing this because of some constructive criticism I've gotten from my readers in the past regarding em and personally, I've realized that the beginning of the story was simply lazy, lazy writing on my part and it has to change for the better.

I've already got some ideas on how I'll change the beginning but I'm always open to hearing what you the readers have in mind. I'm only interested in writing a story for everyone's enjoyment.

Lastly, I'm soooooooo very sorry for taking so long with the update, it's just these last few months, especially the holidays have been a pain in my ass. But those are behind me now and I should be able to continue the story unimpeded. I may take some time in between chapters sure, but I won't give up on my story, I promise you all.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories and please leave either a review or a PM on what you'll think as I really enjoy reading what you all have to say.

This is Dragon1990 hoping you'll all have a wonderful day.


	15. A Surprise Attack

[With The Teams]

The following day after their first night during their trip, all teams finished packing and got back into proper formations with Kurenai's Team up front, Asuma's Team following, Naruto and his Fiancee right behind them with Sasuke and Sakura watching their backs and last but not least, Gai's Team in the rear. For the next couple of hours, things were actually really smooth along the trail. While they all walked, Naruto and Temari held hands like they've done many times before and chatted. Temari was telling Naruto that she really wanted to give him a complete tour of the village and to introduce him to her friends Sen and Yome. Naruto was just as thrilled about the idea of meeting her friends as he was with seeing Gaara and Kankuro again.

Similar conversations happened among everyone else who was in a relationship such as Hinata and Kiba and Sasuke and Sakura. Things were quiet until Kiba radioed Shikamaru which brought the teams to a halt.

"Kiba, what is it, what's wrong?" asked Shikamaru.

"Something doesn't smell right." he replied. "Akamaru smells it too and neither of us like it." he added with his pup growling.

Thinking quickly, Shikamaru radioed the teams to take defensive positions which put everyone on alert. Naruto and Temari immediately went back to back with Temari reaching behind and gripping her battle fan and Naruto placing his hand on the hilt of his Ninjaken.

"Naruto." said Temari with a stern look in her eye.

"I know Temari." he replied with his hand itching to draw his sword. "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you." he promised.

Sasuke and Sakura drew Kunai Knives and readied themselves like the other couple on their team.

"I got your back Sasuke-Kun." she told him.

"I guess now we'll get to see if your sparing matches with Temari have really paid off." he replied.

Shikamaru, Ino and Choji took their defensive positions as well and readied for the enemy to make the first move so that they could counter attack.

"Remember guys, the Hokage is depending on us to see to Naruto and Temari's safety." he radioed to everyone. "That is our mission." he added.

Kiba and Hinata watched and waited as Shino sent a few of his beetles off in different directions to find the enemy. Meanwhile Lee and Neji readied themselves in their defensive poses while Tenten had a scroll in her hands, ready to launch a series of projectiles at any oncoming foes. That was when Shikamaru radioed the teams again.

"Neji, Hinata, I want you both to use your Byakugans to scan our surroundings and pinpoint where the enemies are." he ordered.

Both Hyuugas activated their Byakugans which offered them both three hundred sixty degree vision of their surroundings. They both then shouted to everyone.

"THEY'RE SURROUNDING US!"

Naruto's brows forwarded after hearing that. "We've walked right into an ambush." he said out loud.

Just then, dozens of figures dashed from trees and bushes and lunged themselves at the traveling party. Each attacker looked the same as the other with black clothing and red body armor and black masks covering their faces. They were all armed with duel claw weapons called Tekko Kagi. Wrist guards with four ten inch blades extending like the claws of a wild animal. Within moments, a battle had begun between the Leaf Ninjas and their attackers. Temari signaled everyone to duck in cover and then unleashed a massive cyclone of wind chakra which tore strait threw the first wave of enemies. Before the second wave began the attack, she noticed that the ones who were cut in half by her attack and fell started turning a tan/brown color like dirt and then dissolving.

"Everyone! They're Earth Clones!" she shouted before readying herself to launch another attack.

Naruto had his blade drawn and as three of them dashed forward to lash at him, he deflected their attacks with the back of his blade and then cut threw each of them, reducing them to piles of dirt once the chakra dispelled. Kiba and Akamaru were tearing up several of them at once with their Fang Over Fang attack while Shino fought them off with his beetles and Hinata covered his flank with defensive strikes. The Ino Shika Cho Trio were launching their own series of attacks and crushing several clones at a time. Sasuke would kill several earth clones with fire balls and Sakura even took down several with hand to hand fighting. Sasuke actually smirked when he saw her dispatch another clone with ease.

Clearly, having Temari as a new role model really has done wonders for her. Lee, Neji and Tenten were unstoppable as the three of them crushed one earth clone after another with Taijutsu or with ranged attacks. The problem was that for every clone they dispelled, another three would replace it. Wave after wave of clones would rush in and although they were easy to dodge, defend against or counterattack then destroy, everyone new they didn't have limitless chakra.

Naruto then cut another in half strait down the middle before turning to see if Temari was okay. "They just keep coming!" he shouted before cutting the head off another that tried to attack him from behind. "How long are they gonna keep coming?!" he shouted again.

[With The Death Squad]

Saaga and his Death Squad were perched in their hiding place as as they continued to observe the Leaf Ninjas do battle. The leader then walked up to the one who was at the front of their position.

"Maki, report." he ordered.

The one who created the clones turned to face his squad captain. "My Earth Clones have engaged them as we had planned." he confirmed. "From what I was able to make of the information that has returned to me from the my fallen clones, these ninja are young but surprisingly well skilled. I can continue making clones to engage them if you wish and we'll just wait until they've used up all of their chakra before we move in and make the kill but I do feel I should tell you that I can't make an unlimited number of clones. I've already used half of my own chakra." he explained.

"That's fine." he replied before turning back to everyone else on his squad. "Stage one is complete. We've had a fair amount of time to observe our enemies and find out what their fighting capabilities are. Now comes stage two where we divide and conquer. Maki, Mikaa, Takeo, Hisa, Rokuro, our objective is the 4th's Bastard and his Harlot. Kill the others if you feel that you have to, but our main objective is to kill Minato's Son and Rasa's Daughter. The Tsuchikage wants their heads and we're here to deliver." he instructed.

"It would be nice to get in close and tear em up for once rather then just relying on my clones for a change." said Maki who stood to his feet.

"And not a moment too soon." said Mikaa who was petting the Hawk on her shoulder. "I've been bored just sitting and waiting for them to show their faces." she added.

"And I've been needing a good workout." said Takeo who was cracking his knuckles. "Hopefully, someone down there can offer a real challenge." he said with a sneer.

The biggest member of the group lifted his giant Kanabo and rested it on his bulky shoulder. "And let's make this real quick guys. I'm really hungry." he complained.

"We had breakfast an hour ago Rokuro." said Hisa who's hands rested on her battle whips. "Don't tell me that you're hungry again." she added.

"Enough!" shouted Saaga. "Now is the time to strike, let's move out!" he ordered and they dashed towards their targets.

[With Naruto's Group]

The battle continued on with everybody dispelling earth clones left and right. Tenten's marksmanship would hit each intended target dead center causing them to fall and crumble into dirt while Lee and Neji's Taijutsu would allow them to control the battlefield. Suddenly, a new fighter entered the battle with lightning speed and landed a strong blow to Lee's left cheek and hurtling him back. Lee regained himself and flipped back upwards in midair to then land and exchange blows with the new cloaked figure. Neji and Tenten tried to aid him but would quickly have to retaliate when another wave of earth clones moved in to to keep them from helping their friend and teammate who was so far matching his new opponent blow for blow.

The Ino Shika Cho Trio were also interrupted when a giant cloaked figure jumped in and forced them to dodge a massive war club that crashed into the ground and forming a huge crater in the earth. Shikamaru, Ino and Choji were now split up from their battle formation and forced to fight either this new enemy on their own or a fresh wave of earth clones who would lash at them with blinding speed. Choji stood his ground as the massive man with the Kanabo raised his weapon and gripped it tightly in his hands as he glared down at the chubby Akamachi boy who was looking his new challenger over. With Ino and Shikamaru distracted by the new wave of clawed earth clones, Choji was gonna have to fight the new guy by himself.

Meanwhile, Kiba's team were still having to take down more and more earth clones. While they proved to be easy to dispatch, they were starting to feel a little winded. That was when one more jumped in to attack Hinata and much to her surprise, this one was less easy to fight as he was even faster and more skilled. It wasn't until she managed to land a real hit, although missing a chakra point, that she concluded that he wasn't a clone but the real one. Her moment of hesitation from realizing that this was a real enemy left her open for several other clones to charge in and grab her. Lifting her off her feet and dashing off into the forest with the real one right behind her. Kiba and Shino tried to intervene and help their teammate but another wave of earth clones attacked them.

Naruto was in the middle of the combat, cutting his way through one clone after another when he felt something coil around his ankle then pull him off his feet. He landed hard on the ground with an oomph and then was being dragged across the floor and away from everyone else.

"Naruto!" shouted Temari who dashed off after him.

"Sasuke-Kun! Naruto and Temari need our help!" Sakura shouted to her boyfriend.

Sasuke and Sakura were about to take off after them when another wave of earth clones moved in. This time though, they didn't attack but simply surrounded them.

"I'd be more worried about yourselves then those two." said a female voice. Both of them turned to see a new Kunoichi arrive, riding on what looked like a giant hawk. She remained about ten feet off the ground and got up to lift an arm out from underneath her cloak, showing a clawed gauntlet with razor sharp tips at the end of each digit. "In fact, I think they're the least of your problems now." she boasted from behind her mask.

"And just who the hell are you?" asked Sasuke with his Second Stage Sharingan glaring daggers at her.

"Your Death." she replied cruelly.

Naruto was dragged till he was halted suddenly and had only a second to see a cloaked figure with a sword raised and bringing it down for a killing blow. Naruto reacted quickly by bringing his own sword up and blocking his attacker's blade, moments before it could reach his throat. He then lifted his free leg up and kicked the guy's leg out from under him, causing the guy to fall to one knee before Naruto kicked him again, this time square in the face. He then got up to his feet and readied himself for his enemy to attack, but then remembered the rope that was wrapped firmly around his other ankle. Naruto lifted his sword to cut it when he felt another rope coil around his wrist and turned to see that these weren't ropes, but whips.

The whips in question were being held by another cloaked figure, one in each hand. Realizing he was in trouble, Naruto turned again to his first opponent who raised his sword again.

"Time to die!" he shouted.

Just then, a huge gust of wind blew through and blasted the guy off his feet and into the trees. This took the other cloaked figure by surprise which gave Naruto a chance to react. He first jumped and flipped, swirling around in the air and pulling his second foe towards him. She wasn't expecting him to do such and was caught off guard. When Naruto was close enough, he kicked and sent her flying back, releasing her grip on the whips. Naruto then quickly summoned two Kage Bunshin which used their blades to cut him free. Temari then arrived on the scene to see that Naruto was able to free himself from the trap thanks to her quick attack. But they both knew that the fight was far from over. Naruto looked over to his bride.

"I'll handle the guy with the sword, you take care of her." he told her.

"Got it." she replied and turned to face the other cloaked figure who was now rising to her feet again. "And Naruto, be careful." she told him with concern in her voice.

Naruto nodded and dashed forward to meet his oncoming enemy head on who brought down his sword in a downward strike. Naruto quickly brought is own blade upward and locked swords with his challenger.

"So you must be Minato's little Bastard." he said from under the hood of his cloak.

"And just who are you?" Naruto growled with his now crimson red eyes with slit pupils locked onto his.

"I'm the one who's here to collect your head." he replied as he pushed Naruto's sword back and tried to attack again with a sideways slash only for Naruto to counter with another slash just like it.

"Who sent you?!" Naruto demanded.

"I don't see the use in telling a dead man." he replied. "What would be the point?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Temari was now faced to face with her own opponent who just took off her cloak. She was wearing a full body black Kunoichi's battle dress with red body armor and a mask to cover her mouth. She did have blonde hair tied up into a bun and cyan colored eyes. She also had several blue/grey scrolls running down her lower back and hips.

"You interrupted me and my Captain when we were in the middle of a job." she said while picking up a scroll. "That was very rude, especially for someone who's supposed to be the Daughter of a Village Leader." she added.

"How do you know who I am?!" shouted Temari who was now in a ready stance with her battle fan right behind her. "Who sent you?!" she shouted with anger.

"I was told who you were by the same person who wants your head." she replied. "You and your Boy Toy." she added before opening her scroll and unleashing a hailstorm of Shuriken at her.

Meanwhile, Naruto kept exchanging blows with his own opponent till finally, they broke off and put some distance between themselves. "I admit, I'm impressed." said the cloaked figure who then removed his robe. "You're an excellent Swordsman." he complimented.

Naruto saw that he was dressed in full black battle garb with red body armor. Only his face was revealed to him now. The man in question had silver colored hair like Kakashi's, only shorter and spiked upward. He had onyx colored eyes and intricate red warpaint covering his face. Naruto also noticed that he had a second sword on his back, crossed with the empty scabbard to the sword he had already drawn for the fight. He then reached back and drew his second blade and took a stance with on blade out in front of him in a defensive manner and the other behind him, ready to strike. Naruto took a deep breath and gripped his sword tightly within his hands. He knew that a duelist was something you didn't come across often and this was obviously gonna be a hell of a battle.

"It's a shame that I have to kill you because I don't usually have the pleasure in facing another skilled swordsman like yourself on a daily basis." he told him.

Naruto smirked and glared him down. "Then I guess that makes two of us." he replied. "Because I don't get a chance to test my swordsmanship against any really skilled opponents often either." he boasted.

"Are you ready then?" he asked. "Because only one of us is gonna leave here alive." he told him.

"Ladies first." Naruto smirked.

Both of them dashed forward and Naruto brought his blade upward to counter the two blades coming down. The three blades rang out loudly through the trees as steel met steel.

[With Sasuke And Sakura]

Sasuke and Sakura continued battling the hoard of clones like they had before but unlike their previous fights, the numbers were finally dying down. All the while, the Kunoichi on her hawk sat and enjoyed the show, observing their fighting patterns. Once the last clone had fallen, Sasuke and Sakura, a little winded but not too tired, both turned to face their opponent. The giant bird landed and it's mistress flipped off her mount and land on the solid ground. She then mocked them with a sarcastic clapping which sounded out with a ringing noise from her gauntlets.

"I must admit, you two know how to put on a good show." she commented as she took off her cloak and let it fall to the ground.

She was dressed in a similar fashion like the clones were. Black battle uniform, only for a Kunoichi obviously and red battle armor. She did however have shiny, almost silver metal bladed gauntlets with razor sharp edges. She had lavender colored hair that was tied back into a ponytail and violet colored eyes which shined brightly as the sun shined down on her. She sneered at the young couple before her as she took a few steps forward.

"But now that you're done with the small fry, how about be get this game started?" she asked, taking a stance.

"Sakura." said Sasuke calmly. "I'll take this, you make sure nobody interferes with this fight." he told her.

"But Sasuke-Kun." she tried protesting.

"But nothing." he replied. "It's better that I test her out first on my own then to risk both of us jumping into a trap together." he explained.

"Be careful." she told him.

"I got this." he boasted with a smirk.

The Kunoichi smirked back as she looked the teenager in front of her dead into his crimson red eyes. "When I saw the marking upon your back, I knew it was the symbol of the famed Uchiha Clan." she stated. "And what do you know? The Sharingan, what an honor to face it in battle." she then hardened her gaze but still kept the confident grin on her face. "But don't think that your Bloodline gives you any real advantage. I'm not gonna be the same as the Earth Clones you've been facing so far and I have no intention of going easy on you or your little girlfriend. I've got no problem with killing brats even younger than you." she told him.

"Maybe." replied Sasuke who then smirked back. "But how many Uchiha have you actually faced in a one on one fight?" he asked back.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked in return.

They both stood still for only a moment before her summoned hawk disappeared in a massive flash of smoke. Then both Sasuke and his attacker dashed in and Sasuke's Kunai locked onto her bladed fingers. She then brought her free hand down to try and slash him, only for him to bring his other hand up and catch her wrist in his firm grip.

"Your moves can't fool these eyes." he told her with a confident smirk.

[With Hinata]

Hinata was slammed down hard onto the ground and held down roughly on her back by two clones who had a firm grip on her arms. Her new attacker then flashed in just above her and glared down at her with animal like eyes. She then gasped when he brought his Tekko Kagi downward and slashed her coat open, revealing her undershirt. He then laughed from underneath his mask as she blushed from him slightly stripping her.

"I've never seen the breasts of a noblewoman before." he chuckled as he brought the blades up to the collar of her shirt, getting ready to cut it all the way down the middle and expose her to him. "And I'm really looking forward to the delightful treat of such sweet and delicate looking skin from such a lovely young creature like you." he said as he started slowly dragging the blades down, to her horror.

"KIBA-KUN! HELP ME PLEASE!" she cried out.

Her captor only laughed as she struggled and tried to get free. "You know what it is I love doing to young girls the most?" he asked, stopping himself from cutting any more of the cloth. "I love cutting em up." he told her with a sinister cackle. "I love dragging my blades across their flesh and watching their warm blood spill out when I slice and dice. I love seeing the hopelessness on their faces when they realize that their lives are in my hands. I love looking into their eyes as the light dims and they choke on their last breaths before they die." he sneered. He then leaned in and whispered into her ear. "You and I are gonna have a hell of a time." he started laughing as he sat back up to begin cutting away more clothing before he'd start cutting her.

Hinata's eyes started to water as she felt her shirt about to give way when suddenly, her attacker was thrown back and off of her. She saw Kiba grapple him and then throw him over his shoulders with a furious look in his eyes.

"You lay one hand on her, and I'll ensure that you have the slowest and most agonizing death in human history." he growled.

The guy's earth clones weren't expecting their host to be attacked and the distraction gave Hinata the chance she needed to react and free herself. In a swirling motion and a burst of chakra, she dispelled the clones, leaving her free to deal with her attacker, side by side with her boyfriend.

"Kiba-Kun!" she cheered as she ran forward.

"Wait Hinata!" Kiba called back, stopping her. "I need you to head back and aid Shino. He offered to hold off the rest of the clones, so I could come and save you but he can't hold them off forever. He needs you there to help him before he's overwhelmed." he told her.

"But Kiba-Kun." she tried protesting.

"Hey, this is me you're talking to. I got this." he bragged.

Hinata turned and ran off to aid her other teammate. Before she disappeared behind the bushes, she called back to her boyfriend one last time. "I'll be back as soon as I can Kiba-Kun!" she promised. "Please be careful!" And like that she was gone.

Kiba's attention was on the guy who tried to hurt the girl he loved. He got up and took off his cloak to reveal himself to him. The guy didn't look any different then his clones did. Black Shinobi battle uniform with red battle armor. He also had four bladed Tekko Kagi like all his clones did which made it clear that he liked to take his fights up close and personal. He had wild looking black spiky hair and dark eyes and right now, he looked pissed, even from behind the mask that covered his face, Kiba could tell he was scowling at him.

"Excuse me." he growled. "I wasn't done playing with that yet. Now that you've really pissed me off, I'm gonna make her death last twice as long." he told him.

"You leave Hinata out of this you Bastard." Kiba barked back with Akamaru growling next to him.

"I hope you realize how much trouble you're in now Boy." he said as he brandished his blades, running them against one another and causing a shower of sparks. "I've killed plenty of brats just like you and I don't mind adding another notch under my belt." he bragged.

"I don't know who you've faced before me." said Kiba with a smirk. "But you have no idea what Akamaru and I can do. And if you're anything at all like your Earth Clones we've been fighting lately, then this'll be over quickly." he spat.

"But that's the thing Brat." he said, taking a stance. "My clones had only enough chakra to make them Genin level. I was simply testing the waters by sending in my hoards, playing with my food if you will. Now you're gonna see how strong the real me really is." he boasted.

Kiba and Akamaru took battle stances as well and were about to launch themselves against their opponent. "Well, I wouldn't want things to be too easy." he said with confidence.

Kiba and Akamaru then lunged forward with another Fang Over Fang attack.

[With Choji]

Choji was expanded into a giant ball and riding around in circles at the moment. One of the advantages of fighting his opponent was although the guy was massive, he wasn't really that smart. He'd keep lifting his club and try to swing it down to smash him and each time he did, he'd miss and only leave another crater in the ground where his Kanabo landed. The guy in question was dressed in mostly black with red shin guards and red forearm protectors. His bare arms were exposed and boy were they jacked. However, he was pretty damn fat too with his belly sticking out and it jiggled whenever he'd swing his club. The guy was also bald and had brown eyes and judging by the scowls on his face, he was getting pretty frustrated with his enemy.

"STOP MOVING SO I CAN HIT YOU!" he roared as he swung his club again only to miss.

The downside to this was since the guy was the only one attacking and although big, he was fast enough to put Choji on the defensive, he couldn't find an opening yet so that he could finally counter attack his foe. Right now, Choji's best option was keep the guy going until he either tired him out and could launch a successful attack to finish the fight, or wait it out until Shikamaru and Ino were finished with the earth clones so that they could offer him some reinforcements. Speaking of the two, Ino and Shikamaru certainly had their hands full, trying to dispel the earth clones who were putting them on the defensive. There weren't that many left now, but that didn't make either of them feel to good about Choji's fight with the fat guy.

"I hope you have a plan to help Choji out once we finish this guy Shikamaru." said Ino as she killed another clone. "Because right now, I'm feeling a bit winded and I'm running out of chakra." she added.

"I'm working on it but it's really hard to think when you've got these freaks attacking you non stop." he called back as he struck down another clone. "One of the things I can't really stand about these guys is that they are constantly keeping me on the defensive so I can't really think of a plan at the moment and I have to spend more time trying to keep my head on my shoulders." he told her.

"Well, I hope you can come up with something really soon." she called back, killing another two. "Because I don't think Choji can hold out much longer." she added.

Choji was running low on chakra as a matter of fact. Plus, constantly spinning around can make a guy feel really sick after a while. After a few more moments and dodging another close swing from the guy's war club. Choji bounced away to put some distance between him and the massive man. He then deflated down to regular size and fell on his backside.

"That guy (Huff Huff) just doesn't (Huff Huff) know when to quit." he said in between tired breaths.

Choji's opponent was also starting to feel a bit winded after playing a game of Whack-A-Mole to the death for who knows how long. Still he lifted his Kanabo and made his way forward with a burning hatred in his eyes.

"Looks like you're out of options. Are ya, fatty?" he asked with a sneer.

He then stopped dead in his tracks when Choji stood back up and looked him dead in the eye with only the coldest look he'd ever seen. "Can you repeat that?" he asked with his brow twitching. "I'm not too sure I heard you right but I could have sworn that you just made a remark about my weight." he growled.

"I said, that it looks like you're out of options. Are ya, fatty?" he asked again with another sneer.

And just like that, all hell broke loose as chakra ignited around Choji like a shiny blue flame. "LISTEN HERE BUDDY!" he roared. "I'M NOT FAT, I'M CHUBBY AND I DON'T APPRECIATE IT WHEN YOU FEEL YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO JUDGE SOMEONE BASTED UPON THEIR APPEARANCE!" he screamed which shook the whole earth they were standing on.

[With Naruto]

Naruto felt the tremor and could feel the chakra of his friend Choji skyrocketing.

"W-W-What's that?" asked his opponent who wasn't expecting such a massive chakra spike.

"Oh Boy." said Naruto with a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. "Some dumb Bastard dropped the F Bomb." he said, already feeling sorry for the poor guy who dared to call Choji fat.

[With Temari]

'Looks like Choji's lost his cool.' she thought as she used her fan to defend against another oncoming attack and then counter attack with another wind attack. 'I can only wonder who was stupid enough to say it.' she continued thinking as she battled with the other Kunoichi.

[With Sasuke]

"Well, somebody as a death wish." he said as he squared off again with his opponent.

"Those of us who choose the life of Shinobi, walk the lines of life and death." replied the Kunoichi who brandished her bladed fingers again.

"I wasn't talking about you." he replied which actually threw her off.

[With Kiba]

'Uh oh. Somebody pressed the "Fatty Button".' he thought in the middle of battle. 'They shouldn't have done that.' he added as he counter attacked again.

[With Shikamaru And Ino]

"Shikamaru." said Ino once the last clone had fallen. "Choji..." she started.

"Yup." Shikamaru replied. "We should hurry down before Choji really hurts himself this time." he said as they made their way back to their friend.

Choji stood his ground with his fists clenched and waited for his opponent to make the first move. The guy lifted his Kanabo and with his full might, attempted to bring it down onto his head and crush him beneath it. Then to his shock, Choji reached forward and grabbed it when his hands grew till they were five times the size and he caught it with ease. Then he clenched it within his fingers until it first splintered before shattering completely. The hugs man gasped in disbelief and stumbled back in fear and in awe at the boy who stood before him. Choji then brought his hands back up, which had shrunk back down to normal size and flashed through some hand signs. He then grew till he as the same size as his opponent. He cracked his knuckles and charged forward.

Ino and Shikamaru arrived just in time to see their friend and comrade locked in a fierce battle with the attacker. Both their hands laced with the others as they tried pushing against their enemy with full force, clenching their teeth and glaring each other down.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Ino asked Shikamaru.

"Let's see what Choji can do first." he replied.

"I got this guys!" Choji shouted as he then drew his hand back, formed a fist and let the guy have it.

[With Neji, Tenten And Lee]

Lee was locked in a fierce duel of Taijutsu with his now uncloaked adversary. The guy was well built and unlike his comrades, he wore only a black pair of pants with a red sash and white bandages around his shins and wrists, but no shirt. The guy had brown hair and eyes and a look on his face like he just thought everyone else was dirt compared to him. For a while now, Lee had been trading blows against him while Neji and Tenten continued fighting the earth clones. By now, the number of clones had dropped sharply so it was only a matter of time before they could return to aid Lee with his fight against this guy. Lee dashed in again in a zigzag pattern and his opponent matched him in both movement and speed.

The two then both roundhouse kicked with their shins colliding and sending a shock wave through the area that even cracked the ground beneath their feet before they both dashed back again and took their stances.

'He is so fast.' Lee thought as his eyes never left his opponent's gaze. 'And his Taijutsu is amazing. He's so nimble and flexible, it's like I'm sparing with Gai Sensei again.' he thought to himself.

The other guy looked over to see that Tenten and Neji were finishing up. "I think it's time that we finished this." he declared before standing up strait in a natural stance and cracking his knuckles. "I'll be sure to kill you quickly so that it's not as painful." he boasted.

"I have nothing but great respect for someone who's Taijutsu is as great as yours." Lee said while readying himself for another assault. "But I cannot die here. I have a mission to aid and protect a friend and I have a promise that I have to keep to a comrade." he declared.

"I wasn't asking your opinion Boy." he said with a sneer. "I have already decided that I'm gonna kill you and that's just what I intend to do." he stated.

Lee then charged forward, ready to deliver another blow to his foe. Meanwhile, Neji and Tenten were finishing up in their fight with the earth clones. Neji would take on several at a time and each time he'd either dodge or block, then he'd counter attack and strike a chakra point, thus causing the clone to dissolve into dirt once more. He had just dodged another two, back flipped to avoid having his leg swept out from under him and when he landed back on his feet, the two clones then rushed him only for Neji to strike them both dead center and kill them both. Tenten launched herself in the air and with an elegant twirling motion, she summoned another hailstorm of Kunai and Shuriken taking out several dozen.

She then landed gracefully on the ground once more. Neji killed the rest when they all thought it would be a good idea for them to first surround him from all angles and then charge in all at once. Tenten smirked when she saw this.

'Please.' she thought with a smug as Neji readied himself again. 'Neji's Byakugan allows him to see three hundred and sixty degrees around him and offers almost perfect vision of his surroundings. And nobody can break through his Rotation, no matter how many times you try attacking him or from what angle you try either. Naruto Namikaze is the only guy to have ever beaten Neji in a one on one fight and you guys don't even come close to Naruto's caliber.' she thought.

Sure enough, Neji waited until the timing was just right before swirling in place and unleashing his Eight Trigrams Palms Rotation which reduced them all to rubble within moments.

"Great job Neji." said Tenten as she walked forward to her teammate.

"We still have much to do Tenten." he said turning to her. "We need to find Naruto and Temari and ensure that they're still alright and there's still the issue with Lee and his challenger." he added.

"Then how about I stay here with Lee while you...LEE!" she screamed when she turned around.

To Neji and Tenten's horror, Lee was being held by the neck in the hand of his foe who was sneering at the boy who bled in his grip. His eyes were closed and his arms and legs were limp as he just dangled in the hand of the man he'd been fighting with the whole time. The enemy ninja then looked over to see who he could only guess were the boy's teammates and sneered.

"He was fun." he boasted. "Too bad though that he didn't know what true strength was." he remarked.

"Put him down!" shouted a now angry Neji.

"If you insist." he replied before tossing Lee aside like yesterday's trash.

Lee landed hard on the ground and skidded a bit before just laying on his back with holes in his green suit and blood leaking through his open wounds and down his face. Tenten rushed forward to check him.

"Neji! He's not breathing!" she cried.

Neji was furious that his friend and teammate was reduced to this. He then first started walking over and then picked up his pace to engage his new enemy.

"I'll make you pay for hurting him!" Neji shouted as his Byakugan flashed on again.

"You shouldn't make such strong remarks." his opponent said with a sneer. "It only makes you look weak." he teased.

Neji lunged forward with a powerful palm attack aimed right strait at the guy's face and he was ready to let him have it. But much to his shock, the guy didn't move to either block or dodge. Not only that, but Neji's hand passed right through him as if he wasn't even there. Neji tried attacking again and just like the first time, he simply fazed right through him. This time his enemy brought his fist strait up into Neji's gut and knocked the wind right out of him. Neji struggled to regain his breath and stood back up to his feet before having to bring his hand up to block. The block was successful, but Neji then felt a sharp stinging and burning pain in his wrist from where the guy's blow had landed and felt a tingling numbness in his arm.

"You may as well go ahead and give up Boy." said the brown haired man with that annoying smirk of his. "Your friend didn't fair any better than you are right now. I'm only here to kill Naruto Namikaze and the Suna Girl. Let me pass and I'll let you live. An even trade I think." he offered.

Neji noticed something off a moment ago. During his earlier attacks, his shadow disappeared from view completely. When the guys started talking once more, his shadow reappeared. That's when Neji came to a realization and figured he'd put his theory to the test.

"I'm not gonna let you harm either Naruto or Temari." he said regaining his stature. "I've been trusted by the Hokage in seeing to their safety and that's what I intend to do. And how dare you think I'm the sort of man who'd sell out one of his Brothers in arms for the sake of my own life. Do you take me, a member of the Hyuuga Clan as a cowered and a traitor? I'm not stepping out of this fight and I will finish what I've started with you." he declared.

The guy only smirked again from the teenager's proud declaration. "Even if it costs you your life?" he asked him.

"If I die, then I die." he replied before coming in for another attack.

"Then so be it." he responded before taking another stance.

Neji watched and just then, the man's shadow disappeared like it did before. Now was the part where he'd put his theory to the test. Neji brought another palm strike to his enemy's face but this time, he didn't follow through. He held his hand in place as it looked like it was gonna pass through before he stopped and just as he thought, his palm suddenly collided with the guy's face and sent him stumbling back and yelling, bringing his hands to his jaw from the pain of actually being hit. Neji launched another attack, only this time to his enemy's ribs and like before, he didn't follow through with the attack but stopped halfway before landing another successful strike and knocking the wind out of the guy. He stumbled back and even fell to his knees, trying to breath.

"I figured out your Jutsu." said Neji with a smirk. "I thought it was a Genjutsu but no. You're using some kind of Jutsu that allows you to vibrate your body to such an extreme speed that you can faze right through our attacks." he told him too which the guy looked shocked that someone so young could figure that out. "If you must know how I figured it out, I'll tell you. The first sign I noticed that let me know something was off, was the fact that your shadow vanished when we engaged in our first few blows. When there was a pause, it reappeared. I also noticed when you struck me, that I felt an intense burning sensation in my arm from where I blocked you as well as when you struck me in the stomach, how it felt even more painful. You can use vibrations not only defensively, but offensively as well." he concluded.

The guy was now actually mad at him for figuring out how his Jutsu worked and how he was able to deconstructed it so quickly. What made him even more angry was bringing his hand up to tap his lip, only for him to bring it back down and observe the blood that now stained the tips of his fingers.

"Nobody makes me bleed my own blood." he huffed as he turned red in the face. "Nobody!" he screamed as he lunged forward to attack Neji again.

Neji then dodged and brought his fist forward into the guy's gut and this time, it didn't faze through but found it's mark right there and then. The guy coughed as Neji had knocked the wind out of him a second time as well as crack a few of his ribs.

"Th-That's not right." he gasped, still holding his hands over his stomach. "I was using my Jutsu again. How were you able to hit me?!" he shouted.

"You forget that I am a member of Konoha's Hyuuga Clan." Neji replied. "There is nothing that can escape my eyes and once I figured out how your Jutsu worked, all I had to do was slightly change the chakra flow within my Gentle Fist to disrupt the flow of chakra in you body. I just struck several other chakra points and have crippled you ability to use that Jutsu against me again." he told him.

"Th-That's not true!" he screamed to the top of his lungs. He tried using it again and to no avail. Neji saw as his shadow did flicker, but he couldn't get it to vanish completely. "What?!" he shouted.

"You said earlier that nobody makes you bleed your own blood, is that right?" Neji asked as he took a new stance. "Well I'm gonna make you do more than simply bleed. I'm gonna make you wish you were dead for hurting my friend." he told him as his Byakugan flashed on again. Neji had a clear look at his whole chakra network system. "Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty Eight Palms!" she shouted as he dashed forward. "Eight Trigrams Two Palms!" he shouted as he struck him twice, practically lifting him off his feet. "Four Palms!" he added as he struck him again. "Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty Two Palms! Sixty Four Palms! Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty Eight Palms!" he shouted as he unleashed a hailstorm of strikes all across his enemy's body.

The Taijutsu expert they faced in battle wailed one more time before being flung clean across the field and skidding across the floor and finally coming to a halt. Neji's gaze didn't leave him till he saw his chakra disappear completely which meant that he was dead now. The young Hyuuga then breathed a sigh of relief and turned off his Byakugan before turning to see Tenten still at a wounded Lee's side. He then rushed over to her to see if their comrade was gonna be okay.

"Tenten, is Lee okay?" he asked worriedly.

She looked back up at him with a small worried but hopeful smile. "Not long after your fight with that guy started, Lee started breathing again." she informed him which brought great relief to her friend. "But he's still in bad shape and we gotta get him some proper medical treatment." she added.

"I hate to ask this of you Tenten, but I need you to be the one to look after Lee for me." he told her. "I need to complete our Team's assignment and find Naruto and Temari to see if I can offer them any aid." he explained.

"But I'm not a medic." she protested.

"There's a small village half a mile to the northeast." he said pointing in the direction to were he was talking about. "We passed by it an hour ago and I'm sure that if you get him there, they'll have a doctor who can help him." he told her.

"But Neji..." she tried protesting again.

"Tenten, I know you wanna help out, but Lee's in critical condition." he told her. "We've beaten back one powerful foe, but there are more still out there and I need to offer what aid I can. But neither of us can leave Lee behind and I'm the only one who can find Naruto and Temari quick enough to help them. Please, take care of Lee." he asked her. "Help our friend." he begged.

Tenten really didn't like having to be excused from the action like this, but she knew that there came a time when a ninja had to fully understand where they were needed the most and at the very moment, Neji was right. She had to get Lee to the village for medical attention before he'd die and Neji was the strongest of the three of them. With a tired but understanding sigh, she brought Lee's arm over her shoulder and took off in the direction to where Neji said the village was located. She was sure Lee was gonna make it. Between the three of them, Lee will outlive her and Neji, no questions asked. The guy was too damn stubborn to die after all. Once she was out of sight, Neji turned and dashed off to find Naruto and Temari.

'I'm on my way everyone. Please just hold on.' he prayed.

[Author's Notes] Okay, so a lot's going on all at once and I don't even know where to start. I guess I'll say sorry again for the long wait. But as I mentioned before, not only have I changed the writing style of the story, but I'm doing the same thing with all the previous chapters and have only just recently finished the first three so that the writing style matched this one. Now many of you may not see that as a really big deal at all but there's more. I've completely rewritten the first three chapters completely into something different from how it originally started out. One of the things I've faced a lot of criticism in the past for was how lazy it seemed with how Naruto and Temari were brought together in the beginning. Well I agree, lazy lazy writing on my part.

I would like to encourage all of you to reread the first three chapters of the story and try out the new beginning and please let me know what you all think. I want you all to find out for yourselves how it all plays out, but I think it's better because the situations are drastically different on how Naruto and Temari are arranged together by their villages and I've made it so that Minato and Kushina handle it a lot better. At least I think so anyway, that's up for you to decide. The best part is that it still ties in with the story very well because I've kept the really important bits from the old versions and it won't have too big a change in the other chapters at all or how the story plays out later on. I hope you all will give em a try and let me know what you think.

Anyway, I wanna give you all a warm and heartfelt shout out because today is an awesome moment! Today, my story has reached over 100,000 words! This is the first story of mine to do so and I want you to know that I couldn't have done it without any of you. Your Reviews, Thoughts and Ideas are what inspire me to keep going and sure it's difficult at times, but you are all worth it! :-D

Thank you all so much for reading my stories, please leave me a Review or a PM as I love getting em and reading what my readers have to say.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)

P.S. This is the first time I've ever written a battle scene in a story so please let me know what you think about that as well ;-)


	16. The Battle Rages On

[With Naruto]

On the borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, deep in the middle of a huge forest, a fierce battle is waged between a company of young Konoha ninja and a force of Iwa tracker ninja who've ambushed them. Naruto Namikaze squares off against the very leader of the death squad sent to kill him and Temari. Both of them dashed from branch to branch in the trees, their swords clashing in midair as they pass one another. Each time they leap from the branches beneath them, a loud clanging noise rings and sparks fly as metal meets metal in combat. Despite being shorter, having only one sword and it being slightly shorter in length compared to his opponent's two full length Katanas, Naruto holds his ground well with excellent form.

The both of them just broke off and landed on opposing trees about thirty feet from each other. The guy looked Naruto dead in the eyes and he right back at him as they readied themselves for another engagement.

"This game is getting really old, really fast." he said to the young blonde boy.

"I agree. I wanna finish this quickly and get back to Temari." he replied.

"You won't live long enough to see her." he retorted. "I've been tasked with bringing your head back with me and that's how this will end. Your little whore will die by the hands of one of my best subordinates too. Both of your fates have been sealed." he told him.

"Oh? I don't know about that." Naruto replied with a smirk. "I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve and Temari's a whole lot stronger than you think she is. Once I'm done with you, I'm going to reunite with my Fiancee and we're heading to Suna together." he told him.

"No, you're not." he replied before leaping forward.

Naruto charged as well and the two clashed blades again with Naruto parrying several strikes before slashing at the guy's face, only for him to dodge by a few inches. The two then landed on opposite trees again like before. At first, he smirked, thinking that while Naruto was fast, he couldn't break through his defenses. But then he felt a strange warm wet feeling and noticed that blood was leaking down the side of his face. How? How did Naruto cut his cheek? He didn't feel anything. That was when he noticed something different about Naruto's blade. It was now glowing a light blue and looked a little longer than before. Naruto smirked when he saw the guy's reaction to the attack. A little trick he was taught by Asuma Sarutobi was extending chakra along the edge of his blade.

Naruto's Ninjaken was about twenty four inches in length but this technique that Asuma taught him not only increased the sword's strength and durability, but also extended it's reach. Naruto now could reach another four inches and even deliver more deadly attacks. The guy scowled when he saw Naruto smug little smirk.

"Yes, I rather think we will." he replied and leaped forward again.

[With Temari]

The Iwa Tracker Ninja was dashing back in a zigzag pattern while Temari kept blasting her with bursts of wind each time she swung her massive fan at her. She would even try throwing kunai and shuriken and they'd be knocked right out of the air by the wind blasts she was shooting at her. As this continued, she was getting more and more frustrated with the young Suna Ninja. Temari was smirking as she realized that she had control of the battleground. Her opponent wasn't able to get any closer to her and the best she could do was throw weapons which she could simply knock of their course. She couldn't stop because if she tried to cast some hand signs for a jutsu, Temari would blow her away with a very powerful blast of wind. She had this.

'I think it's time I make a more aggressive approach.' she thought, believing that she needed to get back to Naruto and the others.

Her opponent was trying to catch her breath with sweat pouring down her face once she saw the Suna girl's attacks had stopped.

'Damn it.' she cursed to herself. 'This little Bitch can't make this easy for me. I can't get in close to hit her with any of my best attacks and she won't let me cast any jutsus either. Hard to believe she's a simple Genin, but then again, she is supposed to be the Fourth Kazekage's Daughter. I need to kill her quickly.' she thought. Suddenly, several kunai flew in towards her. She dashed back to dodge and in doing so, ran right into Temari who jumped out of the bushes to swing her fan full force and knock her back with a massive gust of wind. She flew through the air and smashed against a tree trunk with her mask falling off her lovely face. She stood back up and spat some blood out before glaring daggers at the Suna Kunoichi. "You Bitch." she said to her.

"That was for attacking me, my Fiancee and our Friends." she replied sharply.

That was when she had an idea. "Oh, that's right. I forgot that the Hokage's little Bastard is your Fiancee." she said with a smirk. "You two are supposed to be married in about a month. That about right?" she asked which Temari didn't answer. "But the way you stated it makes me wonder, how deep is your relationship with him?" she asked her. "Have you two done the deed yet?" she asked.

Temari blushed for a second and then snapped back. "That is none of your damn business!" she told her.

"I can tell that you like him." she replied with a smug. "You know, it makes me wonder how he feels about you now. Perhaps after I kill you, I'll track him down and have my way with him. Give him a chance to experience a real woman's body." she bragged.

"You wouldn't!" Temari shouted back in anger at the idea of some other woman trying to seduce Naruto.

"Perhaps I would." she replied, drawing a pair of Sais. "After all, men are only ever as faithful as the woman is willing." she said, seeing the way she gripped her fan tightly. "That's what I'll do. Once you're dead and out of the way, I'll find him, use him to satisfy some much needed sexual release and once I've had my fun, I'll kill him. And the last thing he'll know before I slit his throat, is that he was unfaithful to his Bride with the vary woman that killed her." she sneered.

Temari had heard enough now and swung her fan while pouring as much chakra into her attack as she could. "YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!" she screamed. "Ninja Art! Wind Scythe Jutsu!" she shouted before unleashing another massive torrent of wind towards her enemy.

'Bring it.' she said to herself with a smirk.

[With Sasuke And Sakura]

Sakura watched on with anxiety as Sasuke did battle with the foreign Kunoichi who attacked them earlier. She wanted to help him really bad, but didn't know yet what to do. She wasn't as fast or as strong as Sasuke was and she didn't know as many jutsus as he did. Furthermore, her boyfriend told her that he wanted to handle this himself and for her to wait and standby. It was hard for her to just watch on while he did all the fighting and it was even harder when she saw him struggling with his opponent. She was dashing forward and lashing at him with her clawed gauntlets and he was barely able to parry and dodge to avoid being slashed. She was also much faster than he thought so he wasn't able to strike as easily at an opening as he wanted to.

Eventually, she knocked Sasuke back again with him barely able to block her claws with his kunai knives. He remained on his feet and skidded back, using the knives to slow himself down.

"Sasuke-Kun!" shouted Sakura still worrying about him.

"I got this Sakura." he called back to her. "I can beat her and I will, so don't worry." he told her.

"You know, we don't have to keep fighting." said the rogue kunoichi, getting her opponent's attention. "If you lay down you weapons now, turn around and go on your way, I'll give you my word and let you go." she told them.

"What makes you think we'd believe you or anything you say?" Sasuke asked her.

"My Team and I have been ordered to kill the Blonde Kid and his Harlot." she replied. "I'm not under orders to kill either of you. Are you really willing to die for them?" she asked.

Sasuke only sneered at that. "Do you honestly think I would agree to your terms?" he asked. "Naruto and Temari are members of my Team and I wouldn't be able to return home to my Family's Compound with my Honor if I sold out my Teammates and Friends. You can take your offer and cram it." he told her.

Sakura smiled from shear excitement at his response. "Sasuke-Kun! You're so cool!" she cheered like the usual fan girl she is.

"Alright." replied the other kunoichi with a shrug of her shoulders. "But remember that I gave you a chance so you can't complain after I kill you that you simply didn't take it." she said before brandishing her claws again.

Sakura saw Sasuke smirk with confidence behind his handsome features. 'She made the offer because she's noticed that I'm catching up to her.' he thought. 'Her fighting technique is hard to follow, but my eyes are adjusting to her speed. I can also tell that she's used up a lot of chakra so she should be nearing the end. I just have to draw this out a little while longer and once I find an opening, I'll finish her.' he told himself. Sasuke started flashing through hand signs at blinding speed before stopping on his last and drawing forth fire chakra. "Fire Style! Fire Ball Jutsu!" he shouted before unleashing another massive ball of flames and launching it directly at her.

[With Kiba]

Kiba had been clashing with his opponent for a while now. He and Akamaru who had transformed into his man beast clone mode had been dashing across the field and attacking him from various angles. The guy looked really crazy when they first started fighting, but he was stronger and faster than they originally thought. Another thing that really complicated the fight was he could still summon earth clones. The ones he was fighting now where stronger and faster than the ones they were fighting during the first ambush. He and Akamaru were able to dispatch them with a well placed attack, but they were both using a lot of chakra and were wearing themselves out very quickly. Kiba thought they had to finish this guy quickly.

He could tell that if he and Akamaru didn't finish this quickly, they could be in real serious trouble.

"You look like you're getting tired boy." said the guy with the Tekko Kagi Claws on his wrists. "You should turn tail and run." he warned.

Kiba smirked and popped his neck at that. "Come on, Akamaru could keep this going on all day long." he bragged.

"My Squad and I are here for the Blonde kid and his Girl. We're not here for you." he replied. "Why not just leave and go home to live another day? In the Shinobi World, survival is more important than anything. Even completing your mission comes second. You're young and have your whole life ahead of you so why not just call it quits and live to fight another day?" he asked him.

The Inuzuka boy at first was just staring at him with a brow raised before smirking and laughing back at him. "You can't be serious." he finally said back.

"I take it that's a no?" he asked him.

"Damn straight." he replied before taking another stance. "Naruto is my friend and I wouldn't turn my back on him even if my life depended on it. You're talking to a member of the Inuzuka Clan so loyalty runs through our proud blood." he declared. "Besides, the Hokage tasked me with watching over his Son and it would bring great disgrace for me and my Kin if I disobeyed." he finished.

"Fine." he said before readying himself for another engagement. "But I hope you realize that I gave you a chance." he told him.

"Come on Akamaru." said Kiba to his Ninken who took another stance. "Let's finish this fight. Naruto's expecting us at his wedding Boy." he told him to which his Dog barked back.

"I'm gonna skin you both and make it into a leather satchel for all my gear." he boasted while brandishing his weapons.

Kiba and Akamaru charged forward before spinning together with blinding speed in their next Fang over Fang. Their opponent did something similar and spun forward in his own attack before clashing with both his enemies. When the three of them made contact, their was a massive boom that rang out throughout the whole forest.

[With Hinata And Shino]

Hinata and Shino were quickly dispatching the Earth Clones before both of them heard the loud boom. Hinata had just finished shattering another clone before turning to look in the direction of the explosion.

"Shino-Kun, did you feel that?!" she called to her other teammate.

Shino just killed that last three clones with his beetles before responding to the young Hyuuga Heiress. "Yeah I did." he replied. "That was Kiba and Akamaru's chakra clashing with whoever you were fighting with not long ago." he confirmed.

"We need to help him." she told him. "Kiba-Kun saved my life from him not long ago and I'm not gonna abandon him." she urged.

"We're under orders by the Hokage to see to the safety of his Son and future Daughter in Law Hinata." he replied. "But I understand where you're coming from." he added when he saw the worry in her clear lavender colored eyes. "Let's hurry back to Kiba and then after that, we need to find Naruto and Temari." he finished.

She smiled and nodded before they both dashed off in the direction where Kiba and Akamaru did battle with the clawed ninja who attacked them. Although they knew they were supposed to look after Naruto and Temari, they both couldn't abandon their friends and teammates. Besides, Naruto and Temari were pretty tough themselves. They had faith that the both of them would be able to hold out until they arrived. All the while they dashed from tree branch to tree branch, Hinata was praying that her boyfriend was gonna be alright.

'Please hold on a little while longer Kiba-Kun. I'm coming for you.' she prayed silently.

[With Team Asuma]

Not long after Choji went berserk, Shikamaru and Ino were forced into the fight with the behemoth of a ninja who attacked them. He was doing well enough on his own at first, but then things quickly went south when he got angry. The guy quickly flipped through a few hand signs before he started to change. His skin turned a dark red/brown, his hair grew long and looked more spiky. His eyes also turned red and horns grew from his forehead making him look like a demon. They jumped into combat when they saw the guy swat Choji aside with a back hand and sent him flying through the air before slamming against the trunk of a tree. They were both really impressed to see the Akamachi boy shake it off and get back up. He must have been pretty pissed.

So far, nothing they've been throwing at him was working. Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu would halt him in his tracks for a second but he was able to struggle hard enough to effect his focus so he wouldn't be able to manage a secure hold on him while trying to use his Shadow Strangle Jutsu. Shikamaru would be forced to simply let him go and then dodge another attack. Choji was strong enough to knock him back, but none of his blows were enough to do any critical damage. Not even Ino's Mind Destruction Jutsu seemed to have an effect on this guy. At the very most, they caused him a serious headache but it wasn't enough to break him. Honestly, the three of them seemed to only make him even more angry than he was before.

"I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!" he roared as he slammed his fists down on the ground forming massive cracks in the Earth with Shikamaru and Ino only barely managing to dodge.

"This guy is unreal!" said Ino who was huffing hard and trying to catch her breath while sweat ran down her face. "Nothing we do is able to stop him!" she cried. She then looked over at Shikamaru who was also looking pretty winded. "Any ideas?" she asked him.

Shikamaru was breathing pretty hard too from the fight. "It's real hard for me to think of a good strategy while I'm having to avoid attacks." he replied. "Also, I'm running low on chakra so I'm not really sure what I can do with that right now." he added. That was when he thought of something and reached into his satchel. "Ino, if I was to trap him in my Shadow Possession Jutsu, can you and Choji get close to him?" he asked them.

"Sure can." replied Choji who was looking pretty worn himself.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Ino.

"We need to hit him hard with a combination attack." he replied. "Remember that new attack that Asume-Sensei helped us develop?" he asked.

"I do but, are you sure we should try it now?" asked Choji.

"We've only pulled it off once and we've never used it in a real fight before." said Ino.

"I know, but we don't have a whole lot of options." he replied.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me!" shouted their opponent. "I'm going to skin you all with my bare hands and wear your bones as trophies!" he warned in a low and angry tone.

"You're right, let's finish this." said the Yamanaka Heiress to her teammates. "Let's go! Ino!" she chanted with her hands up in another hand sign.

"Shika!" shouted the Nara Heir after her.

"Cho!" said the third member in a fiery spirit.

As there opponent charged forward, shaking the very ground beneath him, Shikamaru reached into his satchel and quickly pulled out a kunai and a flash bomb which he tied around the throwing knife. He then threw it and as he suspected would happen, the monster of a shinobi brought one of his hands up to let the dagger sink into his wrist. But that was his mistake because the flash bomb exploded right in front of him and from that range, his sight would be severely damaged. During the bright flash, he roared in pain from the blinding light and in the second it was bright enough, Shikamaru executed his Shadow Possession Jutsu and caught him in it again. Ino and Choji charged in once they received the signal from Shikamaru that the lights have died down.

While the behemoth was trapped and still blinded, Ino executed her Mind Destruction Jutsu and caused him to cry out even louder from the agony he was feeling and then, Choji formed into a giant ball with his Expansion Jutsu and started rolling in a super high speed before charging towards his enemy. Ino quickly throw a large ball of all their explosive tags they had left at Choji who caught it mid attack. He then bounced up and slammed into the monster with full force, hitting him right square in the face with a really powerful attack. Once he bounced back off, he quickly returned to his original form and while flying back, reached into his coat and pulled out the bomb that Ino threw at him earlier and chucked it full force into the guys face.

As he fell to the ground, Ino brought her hand up to focus her chakra on the bomb and in a matter of seconds, it exploded with a very loud kaboom. All three teammates were coughing from the smoke and dust and Shimakaru released his hold, now that he was out of chakra. The three of them waited and listened and heard nothing.

"I think we got him." said Choji.

"Alright!" cheered Ino now posing with two fingers held up in a V for Victory. "That just goes to show what happens when you take on the InoShikaCho Trio!" she bragged.

Shikamaru was huffing pretty hard and even started leaning forward with his hands placed firmly on his knees for support. "And it's a good thing too. I'm out of chakra and we've just used the last of our gear to take him out." he told them. He then smirked before turning to Ino and Choji. "Still, good job guys. Our efforts paid off and now we know that the attack will get the job done." he added.

"We need to hurry up and find the others." said Ino. "The Hokage told us that our mission is to protect Naruto and Temari. We need to see it through." she told them.

"The other teams are still fighting elsewhere and they may need our help as well." Choji added.

That was when they heard the sound of a very angry monster. "No way." said Shikamaru in disbelief. They all turn to see that behemoth emerge from the smoke that was now clearing and charging with his eyes glowing a bright crimson red. "Guys! Run!" Shikamaru shouted and then it happened. The beast reached down and grabbed Shikamaru by his leg in a vice like grip and lifted him up with ease.

"SHIKAMARU!" both Ino and Choji shouted in unison.

To their horror, he slammed the young Nara boy down on the ground, causing him to gasp from having the wind knocked out of him and cracking several ribs. Then he lifted him up over his head, grabbed him by one of his arms and then brought him down full force onto his knee with it slamming into Shikamaru's back. Shikamaru cried out in agony when he felt several more bones break and then he passed out. The monster then tossed him to the side like trash and then turned his attention to the other two. Ino was about to weave more hand signs, but he swatted her away and sent her flying through the air and slamming into a tree trunk, knocking her out cold. He then kneed Choji in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him rolling across the ground.

"I'm disappointed." shouted the monster. "My Team and I are chosen to hunt down and kill the strongest enemies but instead, I have to waste my time with a trio of brats playing Ninja." he said in a menacing voice. He then started walking forward. "I'll do you a kindness and snap your skinny little necks first so that you don't feel a thing. How's that?" he asked as he was about to finish off Choji. He then raised his massive fist and clenched it tightly as he saw the Akamichi boy struggle to get back up to his feet. Then with a roar, he threw his fist towards him with full force, ready to break every bone in his body. Then, his fist stopped when he caught it and the force caused cracks to appear beneath Choji's feet, but he remained unfazed. "What?!" he gasped.

That was when he noticed his chakra levels rising to unbelievable levels. He also looked like he lost a lot of weight and what was even more amazing were the butterfly wings on his back made entirely out of chakra. Choji now looked at him with complete hatred. "That's enough." he said sternly. He then squeezed one of the guys fingers, cracking it easily.

"Ow!" he shouted as he stumbled back. "What is this?" he asked as sweat poured down his face. "What in the hell is this?" he asked again.

"This is what happens when you push me too far." he replied, not breaking eye contact with him. "First you call me Fat and then you hurt the Girl I really like and my Best Friend! Now, you're gonna PAY!" he yelled as his chakra level was now skyrocketing.

After being scared for a few more moments, he went back to being angry. He then stomped down hard on the ground and roared with rage. "I will not stand for this!" he yelled. "I will not be humiliated by a mere child!" that was when he charged forward and made ready to punch him again. "Don't you know who I am?!" he shouted while throwing another fist.

Choji dodge easily then brought his own fist upward into the guy's gut full force. He watched as they guy coughed from having the wind knocked out of him. "I don't really care at all who you are." he replied before bringing his fist up in an uppercut and sending that monster shooting upward with blinding speed. Seconds after that, Choji flew right past him and brought both fists down and sent him shooting back to earth and forming large cracks and the ground to sink a few feet. He coughed up some blood and then looked up in horror as Choji came charging back down with blinding speed before delivering the finishing blow to his torso. The force of his punch caused the crater to increase ten times in width and cracks crawled across the ground till they reached the trees.

Choji stood there and looked down as the light vanished from his eyes and he exhaled his last breath before shrinking down to his original form. Choji breathed easy when he saw that his enemy was dead. Once the effect of the pill he ate moments ago wore off, he remembered that Ino and Shikamaru were hurt badly and rushed to their aid. "Shikamaru! Ino!" he shouted as he ran out of the crater. He saw Ino on her knees and leaning against a tree. "Ino!" he shouted again as he ran towards her.

"Choji." she replied while huffing.

"Are you hurt bad?" he asked once he reached her.

"I've got a couple of cracked ribs and my wrist is broken." she replied. "You?" she asked back.

"I'm fine, just a bit winded." he replied.

They then remembered Shikamaru so Choji helped her up to her feet and they both rushed to their friend and teammate's side. He looked really bad. His breathing was really shaky and he had blood leaking from his mouth. Both of them did their best to tend to their friend and teammate. Choji gently laid him over on his back while Ino reached into one of their nap sacks they had with them and pulled out a pillow for him to lay his head on.

"We gotta get him some help." Ino said as she watched Shikamaru groan in pain. "He's suffered several broken bones and I fear some damage to his organs. Can you run and get help for him Choji?" she asked him.

"Where an I supposed to go?" he asked.

Ino pulled out a map from her nap sack and opened it up. "There's a small village in that direction." she said pointing the way out. "Please run there and get help for him. I'd help you carry him, but I can't do anything while my own wrist is broken." she told him.

"I'll move as fast as I can." he replied as he started to run.

Ino watched his run and as he began to disappear into the trees, a thought came to her mind. 'Wait, did Choji say he liked me?' she asked in her mind.

[With Kiba]

Kiba was flung against the trunk of a tree when he and Alamaru tried clashing with their foe. At first, he and his ninken were able to hold their ground against him. They kept trying to attacking him from several angles with their Fang Over Fang attack or they'd try dashing in to claw or bite him. But then the guy felt like he had enough and he started focusing his chakra through his Tekko Kagi. He then started his swirling and spinning attack that mirrored Kiba and Akamaru's Fang Over Fang. This time, just clashing would result in cuts appearing all over his arms. After a few more clashes, Kiba was now thrown back and unable to continue fighting. He watched as his opponent made his way over slowly to his while brandishing his wrist blades.

Akamaru tried attacking to protect his master only for the guy to kick the little dog in the chest and send him flying through the air and slamming against another tree. "Akamaru!" shouted Kiba, heartbroken from seeing his beloved companion fall to the ground and not get back up. He tried to get up and run to him but was stopped when four blades went straight through his shoulder and pinned him to the tree behind him and caused him to cry out in pain.

"He's the least of your problems now boy." said the clawed psychopath. "This will not be over quickly and this will not be pleasant either." he told him.

"You Bastard." coughed Kiba, trying to keep from crying out from the blades driven through his shoulder. "Why are you doing this? Who ordered you to attack us?" he asked him.

The guy responded by driving his other blade through Kiba's thigh and causing him to cry out in pain once more. "The Hokage's little Brat and the Suna Girl are our primary targets." he replied. "But I enjoy killing anybody I encounter on a mission." he said while twisting the blade in leg and causing him to cry out again. "Nothing makes my day like bringing pain and misery to my victims. I love getting the blood flowing, whether it's mine or someone else's." he then pulled the blade back out and drove it into Kiba's abdomen. The Inuzuka boy coughed up blood when he tasted it in his mouth. "Look me in the eyes Boy." he said coldly. "I wanna see you bleed. I wanna watch you die." Kiba brought himself up to stare into his cold and black eyes.

"When I'm finished with you, I'm gonna find your little Girlfriend and have my way with her." he continued which only made Kiba even angrier. "I'm gonna cut through her soft and smooth flesh, spill her blood all over the floor and cut all her skin off her body before gutting her. Oh yes, I'm gonna make myself a masterpiece." he bragged.

Suddenly, a very powerful palm strike sent him flying back and skidding across the ground. When he got back up, he saw that it was the Hyuuga Girl who he planned to kill earlier. "You will not take him!" she shouted with anger and her Byakugan focused on him.

"Hinata." Kiba gasped before falling to his knees.

She turns to help her badly injured boyfriend. That was when their other teammate Shino arrives on the scene. "It's over." he said calmly yet sternly.

He responded by laughing with madness. "You fools!" he shouted. "All you did was seal your fates by coming to me! Now I'm gonna butcher you all like swine and bath in your blood!" he declared before dashing forward and attacking Shino. Shino brings his hands up and catches both his wrists in his hands, holding him still. That was when he noticed someone else jump in behind him. He turned but was surprised to see the same Aburame standing right behind him. "What?!" he asked in alarm.

"You fell right into my trap." replied Shino. "And now you get to see my new Parasitic Insect Clone, inspired by my friend Naruto Namikaze." he told him.

That was when the clone started to turn into little beetles and begin crawling up his arms. "What?! Beetles?!" he freaked.

"These are my Clan's Kikaichu Beetles." he replied. "These are a special kind of parasitic beetles that eat chakra." he told him.

"WHAT?!" he panicked as they started to spread over his body with great speed.

"That's right." he replied. "And these beetles are gonna eat all your chakra until it drains it down to absolute zero. Which means you die." he told him.

He tried to get them off, but Shino watched as they spread all over his body until he disappeared under the massive swarm of insects that covered him completely. He screamed loud and long before dropping to the ground and die.

Shino turns to see Hinata trying to treat Kiba's wounds. "Please check Akamaru for me." he begged.

Shino headed over to the wounded hound and placed a hand down on him. "He's still breathing and it doesn't feel like he has any broken bones or internal damage. I think he's just out cold." he said while picking the little dog up in his arms. "But you need to get treatment." he said turning to Kiba and Hinata.

"But we still need to help Naruto, Temari, Sasuke and Sakura." he replied.

"We don't even know where they are." he replied. "And you're bleeding very badly." he added.

"But we can't abandon our friends." replied Hinata. "Besides, our mission is to protect Naruto and Temari. We can't just leave them." she told him.

"I didn't say that we do nothing." he responded. He then had several beetles fly off in several directions. "I'm sending off several beetles to look for our friends. Once we know where they are, we'll do what we can to help them." he explained.

"But are you sure they can hold out till then?" Kiba asked.

"I'm afraid they're gonna have to." he answered. "Team 7 is very strong so I'm sure they'll be fine. But we need to focus on your wounds Kiba." he finished.

"I hope that they'll make it." he said while Hinata tried dressing his wounds.

"Have faith." Hinata replied. "Shino is right, our friends are very strong. They can hold out until we find them." she told him.

"And thank you for coming in when you did Hinata-Chan." he replied. "You saved my life back there." he told her, getting her to blush bright pink.

"Oh, well, um..." she fumbled in embarrassment.

"Would the two of you like some privacy?" Shino asked which made Hinata blush even redder and Kiba's brow twitch in annoyance.

[With Sasuke And Sakura]

Sasuke's battle with the dangerous kunoichi from Iwa wasn't going well for him. She was too fast for him to see her movements, even with his sharingan and her reflexes were unreal. None of his attacks were able to break her defenses. Quite a few times, she managed to break through his defenses and he'd be cut on the shoulder or somewhere on his arms by her clawed gauntlets. Another thing that really got to him was her constant mocking him. She went on and on about how pathetic the Uchiha must have been if he was the heir and successor of the Clan after his brother Itachi. He wanted to end this fight quickly and snap her neck. He was sick and tired of being constantly compared to his older brother.

After another break from their fight, she stood up to full height and sneered down at him again. "You seem to be getting winded little boy." she said in a high and mighty tone. "I'll bet you're wishing you took my offer from earlier aren't you?" she asked him.

"Not a chance in hell." he replied. "I already told you that I won't sell out my friends or my teammates and I'll die before I let you harm Naruto or Temari." he told her.

"And I keep telling you that it's not your call to make." she told him. "I was ordered to bring his head back and I'm gonna do it. The only way this could be different is if you and your little slut head home and live for another day." she said which got on his nerves.

"Sakura is not a slut." he growled.

"Touchy." she said with a sneer. "Do you care for her?" she asked. She then turned back to Sakura and had an idea. "What if I threatened her? Will that change your mind?" she asked him.

"This is between you and me!" he shouted back.

"Then how about I make you a new offer?" she asked before brandishing her claws. "Let me kill the Hokage's Son and the Suna Girl, or I'll kill your're little Girlfriend." she told him.

"Leave her be!" he shouted.

Sasuke dashed forward to attack but she jumped over him and headed for Sakura, ready to claw out her throat. Sasuke watched in horror as she was ready to kill her and ran to try and intercept the attack. Sakura readied herself for the attack and took a stance. She wasn't sure what she was gonna do yet because while she had been training with Temari for over a month and a half and had gotten better, she was still out of league with Sasuke and Naruto when it came to hand to hand combat. Watching Sasuke fighting this woman and seeing how he was still struggling with her when he was one of the strongest members of the team. She wasn't sure how she was gonna fight her, but she wasn't gonna die here.

Right before her claws could reach Sakura's throat, she was alarmed to see that Sasuke stopped her at the very last second. 'How did he move so fast?' Sakura asked in amazement.

"When did you-?" the other woman asked before he kicked her away with full force and sent her through the air, back flipping and landing on her feet. 'I didn't even see his leg.' she thought. 'How did he get so fast?' she asked herself.

Sakura then noticed that something about him had changed. That was when she noticed that his Sharingan. It had now evolved to the third and final stage with three pupils around the one in the center. 'Sasuke-Kun.' she though in disbelief.

'My eyes.' he thought as he started her down. 'Now I can see everything. I can beat her.' he told himself as he clenched his fist.

The two of them dashed in to attack again. But this time, he had the upper hand in speed. His new Sharingan read her moves more clearly and revealed more openings in her attacks and defenses which he was able to exploit. Now she wasn't able to cut him with her claws but he was striking her with quick jabs to her arms and torso. After about three engagements, they broke off again and put some distance between them. Sasuke smirked now when he saw that she was the one trying to catch her breath with sweat pouring down her face.

"I'd like to make you a counter offer." said Sasuke. "You leave and don't ever come back or I'll kill you here and now." he told her.

The look on her face from him treating her like she wasn't the one winning was priceless. "You are not the one winning this fight!" she shouted back. "I'm going to wipe that smug little smirk off your face and leave you for the crows! The Uchihas will learn of your death when I send your head back to them in a basket!" she screamed.

"Enough talk." he replied before getting ready for another attack.

They both dashed forward for another fight. But when they got close, Sasuke noticed that the claws on the end burst into flames and had to change his defensive moves. She brought her hand down and slashed into his wrist with her claws, burning his skin where she cut him. Sasuke didn't react, but he did feel the burning on his lower arm from where she cut him. He knew that this fight has gone on for long enough and decided that he was gonna finish it now. He flashed through several hand signs and then brought his hand up to collect the chakra into his hand. Sakura watched as the enemy kunoichi charged forward with her flaming gauntlets while Sasuke dashed with his Chidori. Times slowed down for her when she saw them clash in the center of the battlefield.

For a moment, she didn't see everything that happened. But then she saw Sasuke was wounded with his blood soaking through his shirt. The other woman coughed up some blood as well because Sasuke had plunged his arm straight through her torso with his electric fingers passing through her body and out her back. Sasuke then withdrew from her arm from her body and she pulled out her claws from his waist. He coughed up some blood before stumbling back but remaining on his feet. He watched as his enemy held her hands over her wound which had blood pouring out and falling to the ground beneath her feet. She stared at him with a burning hatred before choking up one more mouthful of blood and falling to the ground.

Sasuke then let out a sigh of relief before he turned off his Sharingan after knowing she was dead.

"Sasuke-Kun!" Sakura shouted while running forward to help him.

Sasuke dropped to his knee and held his hands to his stomach while trying to stop the bleeding. "Sakura." he replied.

"You're hurt." she said trying not to cry from seeing how much pain he was in.

"I need you to get the med kit from the nap sack." he told her. "I need you to help me stop the bleeding." he added.

Sakura did as she was told and brought out the bandages before lifting his shirt. Sasuke grunted in pain when she started using the water and rags to clean his wound before placing another clean cloth over the wound and then wrapping it around his waist. Once it was tied off, Sasuke grabbed the water to take a drink before turning to his girlfriend.

"Thanks Sakura." he said once he was relieved to see that she managed to stop bleeding and dress his wound. That was when he noticed that she was actually crying. "Sakura?" he asked.

She sobbed a little before bringing her hand up to wipe her tears from her eyes. "Sasuke-Kun, I'm so sorry." she said finally.

"For what?" he asked her.

"The whole time, I wasn't able to help you." she confessed. "Even after training with Temari for so long and feeling like I've gotten better, I still was of no use to you." she sobbed. "And you're hurt because of me." she cried.

"Sakura, it's not your fault that I was injured." he told her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes it is." she cried.

"No it's not." he said sternly. He then took her by the hand. "I told you to stand aside and let me handle the fight. You did the right thing by letting me handle it and if I needed your aid in the fight, I knew I could trust you. And now that I needed you to help me, you were there." he told her.

Sakura was touched by all of that and had a hopeful smile. "Sasuke-Kun." she said finally.

Sasuke smiled a little himself before huffing. "Help me up, we need to help Naruto and Temari." he told her.

She stood up before offering her hand for him to take it. Sasuke took it and stood up with a painful grunting as he felt his wound hurting again. "I think I'm done with fighting for now Sakura." he told her. "If we get into another fight, I hope it's something we can handle it." he told her.

Sakura let him swing his arm over her shoulder and lean against her. That was when someone else came in. They turned to see it was a friend which brought some relief.

"Neji." said Sasuke when he saw the Hyuuga boy.

"Sasuke, Sakura, are you both alright?" he asked them.

"Sasuke-Kun is injured." replied the pinkette. "He's out of the fighting for now. How's everyone else doing? Are they in need of help?" she asked.

"Lee was badly injured so Tenten is rushing him to another village to get help from their local Doctor." he answered. "Shikamaru was injured severely as well so Choji and Ino are taking care of him while Shino and the Lady Hinata are looking out for a wounded Kiba. All of them have won their fights." he explained.

"Then that just means we need to help Naruto and Temari." said Sasuke. "I'm unable to fight now because of my own injuries, can you take over for us?" he asked him.

"I'll head there now." he replied.

Sasuke and Sakura watched as he dashed off to aid Naruto and Temari with their fights. Both of them hoped that the two of them were okay.

"Sasuke-Kun, do you think that Naruto and Temari are alright?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Naruto may not act like the smartest guy out there, but he's far stronger than most people would think if they first meet him." he replied. "I'm sure he's up for the challenges, no matter who he's up against. I haven't spared with Temari as often as you have so you'd actually have a better idea of her chances than I would. But she's pretty strong too." he explained.

"Temari's greatest strengths are in long rage fighting and strategic planning." she told him. "So long as she's got her fan, a well planned out strategy for the fight and control over the battlefield, than it's the person who's up against her that should be worried." she told him. That was when she noticed the look on his face. "Sasuke-Kun?" she asked him.

"These attackers aren't just rogue ninjas looking to make a quick buck." he replied. "They were all very well trained and they clearly planned this out long before they attacked us. They also were after Naruto and Temari with the intention of killing them. This is clearly personal and they were sent by someone who's after the Hokage and his Family." he told her.

"But who?" she asked him. "Who would want to kill our Friends?" she asked as well.

"Hard to tell." he replied. "The Hokage has many enemies who'd do anything to kill him or try and go after his Family to get to him. What makes this even harder to tell is that they aren't wearing Hitai Ate. Tracker Ninjas never do so that if they die, they can't be identified." he explained. "We need to inform Naruto's Parents when we get back to Konoha." he told her.

[Author's Notes] So first off, I'm really sorry for taking so damn long to update. First of all, I've been swamped with work and it's been a massive pain in my ass. Secondly, I've had a very bad case of writer's block which I'm only now getting over and lastly, I've rewritten and updated Chapters 4, 5 and 6 to this story which certainly took some time to do. If you guys wanna reread them, by all means. I've made some minor changes, nothing too drastic and I've lengthened them so there'd be more to read but beyond that, they're pretty much the same. I hope none of you have ever felt like I've just given up on this story because that will never happen. I'm sure I'd be murdered by my readers if I just dropped this story and left it hanging.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories, please leave either a Review or a PM because I love getting them and if you have any thoughts or ideas that you'd like to share, please lay em on me bause I love hearing what my readers have to say.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


	17. Victory And The Aftermath

[With Naruto]

Naruto was currently locked in his fierce duel to the death with Saaga in the tree branches. As the fight dragged on, the Iwa death ninja was getting more and more angry with the young Namikaze boy. He was older and had more experience in battle than Naruto and he was using two swords which were longer than Naruto's own ninjaken. Yet Naruto was holding his ground astoundingly against his enemy and was even forcing him back by switching forms and techniques in mid combat. This was one of his favorite strategies after all because it forced your enemy to play by your rules too. Naruto was the Leaf's most unpredictable ninja after all so an unpredictable fighting style suited him. Naruto smirked each time he'd strike an opening.

He kept this pattern of switching back and forth between either fighting more offensively and more defensively which was forcing Saaga to have to change his tactics too. This also wore him out and when Naruto saw in opening in the guy's form, he would leap and kick him hard in either his stomach or in his face and the guy growled angrily each time Naruto's attack would connect. This was another form of dueling that Naruto used when facing an older, stronger and more experienced fighter. Rather then rush the fight and try to finish it quickly which could backfire if you don't know how strong your enemy is, drag it out a little and learn his fighting power. Then force him to fight your way and take him down, one well placed strike at a time.

Both ninja landed on the same branch before their blades clashed and locked together. Once they broke off, Saaga dashed forward and swung both his blades in an attempt to cut his head off. Naruto dodges downward then quickly jumps up because he spun around and tried swinging at Naruto while he was down. Naruto timed it just right so that when he jumped, he'd spin midair and kick Saaga in the face again, knocking him back and away from him. Naruto sneered at him when the guy spat out some blood. He then glared back at Naruto with total hatred. When the Tsuchikage ordered him to kill Naruto and Temari, to him it was just a mission. Now, the kid has made this fight personal and he was gonna enjoy this more than he should.

"You really have made me come to hate you, you little Bastard." said the white haired painted ninja.

"The feeling is mutual." Naruto retorted.

He then stood back up and wiped the blood off his chin since it was leaking down the side of his mouth. "Well, I think it's time to finally finish this." he told him.

Naruto only smirked again. "Wonderful, I was afraid that this would be too easy." he retorted.

"Then I hope you've made your peace." he sneered. "Because I've been hiding another side to me this whole time." he told him.

"Where, in the closet?" Naruto smirked again.

"Joke if you like, because you won't be laughing long." he declared before he started to change.

Naruto was surprised when he felt the guy's chakra spike and rise way higher than before. Then his hair began to grow out twice as long and began to flow freely down his back, his skin changed to a dark grey color, his eyes became ghostly clear and he started to grow to the point his uniform began to strain to the point it was gonna break from how big he had gotten. To finish it off, two large horns grew from his head, making him look like a demon of some sort.

"Okay, that's new." Naruto replied.

Saaga then charged forward with blinding speed. Naruto barely had the time to react this time and only managed to bring his sword up to block both his swords which knocked Naruto back, his feet skidding along the tree branch. Saaga then appeared before Naruto again and brought his knee up into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him up into the air. Before Naruto could fully recover, Saaga jumped up and right above him, slashed down towards him with the hope of cutting him in half. Naruto had only a second to react and brought his sword up to meet both blades. Naruto was cut on one of his arms and then sent shooting back down at blinding speeds down to the floor below. Saaga then dashed back down to earth.

He smirked as Naruto got back up out of the small crater now covered in dirt, his left arm bleeding and some blood leaking down the left side of his face.

"Having fun now Bastard?" he growled out in a deeper and more menacing voice.

Naruto glared back at him with crimson eyes and red chakra glowing around his body. "Like you wouldn't believe." he replied. The both of them then dashed forward and clashed in the center of their battlefield again. All the while, Naruto's thoughts drifted to his young bride. 'I gotta finish this. I need to get back to Temari. I'm sure she needs help.' he thought as he parried another strike.

[With Temari]

The two kunoichi were locked in a heated battle that was trashing the grounds they did battle. Both were now pretty winded and covered in some dirt. Temari was keeping her opponent at a distance with wind attacks from her battle fan. However, she was beginning to run low on chakra and was trying to plan how to finish her. Meanwhile, her enemy on the other side of the battlefield was getting frustrated that she couldn't close the gap between the young Suna ninja so she could finish this. She tried just rushing her once and Temari sent her flying back and covered her with cuts with her wind chakra. Now she was having to dodge one blast of wind after another because she was pretty sure that she could get killed if she took another hit.

'This little bitch is really getting on my nerves.' she thought as she was trying to catch her breath. 'I need to find a way to get rid of that fan so I can move in and finish her off.' That was when a thought came to her. 'That's what I'll do. I'll hit her hard and if I'm lucky, not only will I destroy her fan, but I should be able to take my sweet time and kill her nice and slowly.' she sneered.

She then reached into her satchel and pulled out a kunai that had a sealing tag attacked at the end of the hilt. She then threw it up in the air and using her chakra, the seal was undone and a thousand shuriken started flying towards Temari like a hailstorm of cold and deadly steel. Temari saw that and smirked before blasting all of that away with a massive blast of wind from her battle fan.

'Please, if it didn't work when Tenten tried it, what makes her think it will work this time?' she asked herself. That was when she barely noticed through all the falling shuriken a single kunai knife flying towards her. 'That was her plan, she distracted me with all these shuriken but hoped I wouldn't notice this on single kunai.' she smirked again. She then reached out, caught one of the falling shuriken and threw it at the kunai, thus knocking it out of the air and causing it to land with the tip buried into the dirt. 'Nice try though.' she smirked. Her heart then skipped a beat when she saw an explosive tag on the end of the kunai and it was just about to go off. "SHIT!" she screamed and braced herself by hiding behind her fan.

She didn't have the time to try and blast it away so this was the best she could do. 'This is gonna hurt.' she thought as she closed her eyes and grit her teeth. The bomb exploded violently with the force of the blast sending Temari flying through the air and then slamming against a tree and dropping her fan. The shock wave really did some damage to her internally as she coughed up some blood on impact before dropping to the ground. "Damn it! I was careless." she gasped.

She then saw her opponent dive bomb towards her from above laughing like a madwoman as she drew a pair of sais. "Your dead you little bitch!" she screamed before landing right on top of the blonde and plunging her sais into her chest. She sneered when she saw Temari caugh some more blood but was then surprised when the girl disappeared in a plum of smoke leaving only a log. 'Damn it, substitution jutsu.' she thought before pulling her sais out and glancing around. "That was really quick and cleaver of you little girl. But you can't escape. I'm gonna find you and when I do, you're dead." she called out to her with an evil grin. "Now, let the fun begin." she said as she licked her lips.

Elsewhere, Temari was limping away and trying to avoid being seen. 'Damn it Temari, you really screwed the pooch on this one.' she thought as she limped away while holding her stomach with one hand. 'Now your fan has been damaged beyond repair and you've been knocked for a loop. You shouldn't have been so careless.' she lectured herself. She then walked around a tree and leaned against it. She peered around to only see nobody there before huffing and puffing for air again. She slowly slid down the trunk and sat on the ground beneath her as she was still trying to catch her breath. 'You need to find Naruto and the others Temari. You're in no condition to fight. If she finds you, you will die. You need help.' she thought as she looked around the corner again.

She then rested against the trunk of the tree again before her thoughts drifted to her young fiancee. 'Naruto, where are you?' she asked in her mind. 'Wherever you are, please find me, I need you.' she prayed as she kept trying to regain her breath which wasn't easy considering how badly her chest was hurting right now.

[With Naruto]

This wasn't like their fight before. It wasn't where Naruto was simply able to read or learn what his fighting pattern was like and then counter it. Now, this was a struggle for survival as Saaga slashed at him wildly with his blades and with such blinding speed. Naruto's reflexes were in overdrive as he would try to block them and even then, half the time felt like luck. He was pretty sure that one false move and the guy would take his head clean off his shoulders. Even with the Fox's chakra, Naruto was still having a difficult time keeping up. Despite the guy's size, he was way faster and it was really hard now to find an opening to exploit. Naruto knew that he needed to end this now or else he was gonna wined up in real serious trouble.

Eventually, Saaga managed to kick him in the stomach again and send him towards the trunk of the tree behind him. When he slammed against the tree, Saaga forced one of his blades through Naruto's shoulder and pinning him to the trunk. He screamed out in pain and again when the kicked the pummel of his sword, forcing it deeper into the tree. He then sneered as Naruto looked back at him in anger.

"Prepare to die." he said before pointing his blade forward and charging.

Naruto was gonna have to time this just right or it would be all over. Quickly switching hands, he used the tip of his blade to shift his opponent's sword off it's course. The blade barely missed him, only cutting into his cheek a little bit. Once the guy was close enough, Naruto spat up into the guy's eye. Saaga cringed in disgust before Naruto brought a leg upward and slammed his shin into the guy's nuts. While he was bending over, Naruto kicked him a second time in the face and sent him back. Focusing chakra into his blade, Naruto slashed at the sword through his shoulder and destroyed the hilt, leaving only the broken blade. Then he walked forward, gasping in pain from pulling the blade completely through his body and he was free again.

The problem now was that Naruto's right shoulder was pretty badly damaged and even with the Fox's chakra, it was gonna be awhile before he'd be able to use his arm again. Which meant that he was gonna have to try and fight left handed for the rest of the battle. Naruto was determined to win this fight, but he wasn't left handed and he was already struggling to fight Saaga as it was. Both ninja charged forward again and clashed their blades again. Naruto was trying to keep up, but the guy was swinging his sword with both hands which was more powerful than swinging a sword with one hand. Naruto was blocking but each strike would knock his sword out of the way and force him to recover quickly so he could block another strike.

Saaga was now bragging as he was forcing Naruto back with each attack. "Where's your confidence Bastard?!" he shouted as he kept striking. "Not long ago, you were so sure of yourself. So sure that nothing was gonna stop you. So sure that you had this fight in the bag." he said as he landed some hits. Naruto gasped in pain when he felt Saaga cut him on one of his legs, once on the arm and once again on the leg. Naruto could feel his warm blood leaking out into his cloths and soaking through. "Looks like it's the end of the line Bastard! And once I'm done with you, I'm gonna hunt down your little slut and kill her two. Then I'm gonna present your heads to my leader!" he bragged.

That was the final straw. Naruto brought his sword upward to counter Saaga's downward strike and this time, he halted it completely. Even Saaga was taken back by the power behind that strike and the hate in his opponent's eyes actually sent a chill down his spine.

"Okay pal, you crossed a line." he said before pushing back and actually forcing Saaga back, skidding along the dirt. Naruto, who then felt able to use his right arm again, gripped his hilt with both hands. "Temari, isn't a slut and how dare you say she is?" he asked in a cold and enraged voice. He then slid his sword back into it's scabbard on his back and took another stance, ready to finish this.

"Oh, quick draw huh?" asked Saaga with amusement in his voice. "You're hoping to finish this off with a single stroke of your blade. But your chances of winning are flawed. My sword is longer than yours. I'm gonna splatter your brains all over the ground before your blade ever touches my body." he bragged as his eyes met Naruto's again. "But I see no fear in your eyes at all. You're fully committed to this showdown. Interesting, I except your challenge." he said, taking a stance with his Katana held out before him.

The both of them stood for what felt almost like forever. Sweat slowly rolling down their faces and their eyes focused on one another's without blinking once. Then, both charged forward, ready to strike down their enemy with all their might. Saaga brought his sword downward with the hope of cleaving Naruto in half. Naruto drew his blade and with chakra focused through the blade, increasing it's strength and killing capabilities. He struck, not his opponent, but his enemy's sword. Saaga's katana shattered like glass in front of him, leaving him baffled that their was such power from one so young. Naruto took advantage of his shock and slashed his enemy vertically across the stomach before sliding his sword back into it's scabbard.

Saaga gasped in agony and fell to his knees before Naruto with his hands over his wound, fearing that his internal organs were gonna spill out in front of him. "Bastard!" he cursed as blood leaked from his mouth and down his chin.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief with his eyes going back to their original blue before responding. "Tell me who sent you to kill us and I'll ease your passing." he told him.

"Go to Hell!" Saaga snapped back as he started returning to normal like before.

"You're really not helping your case." Naruto replied. "Now, tell me who sent you." he demanded again.

"Even if I did, it won't do you any good now." he sneered. "My teammate is gonna finish off your little whore soon enough and there's nothing you can do about it. She's a sadist and she's gonna build a masterpiece from your whore's bloody remains. You've won no-" he was cut off when Naruto shut him up by slashing him across the neck with a kunai, cutting his throat.

"On second thought, I don't care." Naruto replied angrily as he turned to leave and find Temari.

Saaga was gasping for breath and brought both hands up to his neck, letting his intestines fall out before him. The Iwa tracker ninja would die choking on his own blood as the Hokage's son dashed off without looking back once.

Naruto was jumping from one branch to another as fast as he could, trying to remember where he last felt Temari. 'Just hold on Temari. I'm on my way, please hold on a little while longer.' he prayed as he picked up speed.

[With Temari]

Temari's opponent was strolling through the woods, looking for Temari while twirling one of her sai in her fingers. "You've got nowhere to hide you little bitch. You may as well give up, come out and let me finish this. If you do, I'll cut your throat and end it quickly." she said as the weapon in her hand continued twirling around in her fingers.

Dozens of feet away, Temari hid behind a tree. From where she was, she could hear her clearly but knew she was a good distance away from her. She could also tell that she was moving eastward while she was north of her position. She was tempted to try and look around the corner, but she didn't want to risk giving away her position. Instead she tried to quiet her breathing which wasn't easy because she was sure she had some cracked ribs from the explosion and she was slowing down her chakra flow. This was a trick that ninja were taught to avoid being sensed out. She didn't know if this woman was the type who could sense other ninja because that skill was hard to learn for many ninja, but she really didn't want to take that chance.

At one point, the other woman's footsteps stopped and things became really quiet. From where she was hiding, Temari was listening and praying that she would move on. Sweat was pouring down her face like drops of rain as she waited until finally, she heard the footsteps pick up again and it sounded like she was moving away from her. Temari let out a sigh of relief, not even realizing that she was holding her breath the whole time.

'Good, she's left.' she thought as she breathed regularly again. 'Now I just need to find Naruto and the others.' she told herself. She grunted and struggled to get to her feet when she heard a noise headed towards her. It was a whirling noise and that was when it dawned on her. "SHIT!" she shouted.

Temari jumped forward and ducked her head as the tree behind her was cut completely in half by a demon wind shuriken. Had she not moved when she did, she would have ended up like the tree too. She then got back up and since she didn't have her fan anymore, she simply drew a kunai knife.

"Guess what I just found." bragged her opponent as she started forward with a pair of sais in her hands. "I found you." she said as she locked eyes with her prey.

Temari threw her kunai when she saw her dash forward. The woman knocked it out of the way with ease and before Temari could draw another, she threw one of her sai and knocked it right out of her hand. She then kicked the young Suna girl in the stomach, knocking the wind right out of her. She sneered down at her as she fell to her knees. Temari was desperately trying to breath again. Her stomach hurt so bad from the assault that she felt like she was gonna throw up. She then kicked her again, forcing her to the ground completely. Temari started up at her with hatred and gasping for breath.

"You bitch." she said up at her as she got down a bit closer over her.

She then stabbed Temari in the thigh, causing her to cry out in pain. "I was gonna kill you quick and easy, take your head and then go home." she said before twisting the blade inside of her leg and causing her to scream out again. "But since you've really pissed me off, I'm gonna take my sweet time with you, carve you up into little pieces and build myself a masterpiece." she said before removing the blade and holding it up and aiming towards her, ready to stab her again. "You and I are gonna have a hell of a time." she sneered.

Temari took a deep breath and readied herself when she saw her take aim when they were interrupted. Naruto dashed in and slammed his fist into the older kunoichi's face and sent her flying back and skidding across the ground.

"Naruto!" cried out Temari with a smile and tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She was so happy to see that he was still okay.

"Sorry for taking so damn long Temari." he smirked. "That guy was a huge pain in the ass." he told her. That was when he looked really concerned. "Temari, you're hurt!" he shouted in dismay when he saw how beat up she looked and her bleeding thigh.

"I'm fine." she said trying to get up. "Now, let's finish this b-" she was then fell back down to her knees, unable to get back up because it hurt to much.

"Temari, you need to let me handle this." he replied when he saw her failed attempt to get back up.

"I can fight." she said, trying not to let him see how much pain she was in. "I'm not gonna sit back and let you fight my battles for me." she told him.

"Temari, please." he said, looking her in the eyes and showing her how worried he is for her. "I know you don't like being treated like the helpless type, but I don't want to see you get any more hurt than you already are." he pleaded.

Temari, although not happy with having to sit this out, was actually touched that he would display such concern for her like this. "Okay, I'll sit out." she replied. "I believe you can win this." she said with a soft smile.

"I'll finish this quickly so we can get back to your Brothers." he said as he walked towards the enemy kunoichi, drawing his sword once more.

"Naruto." she said, getting him to look back at her one more time. "Please be careful. And kick her skinny little ass for me." she said with a smirk.

"As you wish." he smirked back before turning back to his last enemy.

Naruto watched as she reemerged from the bushes where she landed and glared at him like she wanted to rip him to bloody pieces. She then spat out one of her teeth. "I wasn't done playing with that yet." she spat, referring to Temari.

"You take one more step towards her and I'll kill you." he warned as his eyes turned red again.

"You wanna fight me too?" she asked as she drew another pair of sais. "Good. I've been tasked with killing you both so now that you're both here, killing you will be so much simpler." she told him as she started forward.

"Who sent you to kill us?" Naruto demanded as he started walking forward as well.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she sneered.

They then dashed forward with Naruto taking several swings at her and she either dodging or blocking with her weapons. She then went on the offensive by jabbing at Naruto and he responded by blocking and deflecting each of her attacks. One of the styles he studied under his mom was fighting an enemy who had more than one weapon. The both of them were dashing across the field, attacking, blocking, deflecting and counter attacking one another. All the while, Temari was watching Naruto in amazement. She shouldn't be surprised really, given that she had seen him fight before many times and has trained with him for nearly two months now, but they way he glided across the field was dazzling. And he was doing this all for her.

As they fought, Naruto was repeating the same fighting pattern he did with his previous opponent. He'd switch back and forth between either his offensive and defensive styles which would confuse her and then he'd keep attacking until he'd find an opening and kick her in the stomach or the face. Temari reveled in each and every strike when she saw Naruto knocking her back and kicking the daylights out of her. And she was getting more and more pissed each time one of Naruto would land another hit. They then broke off for a second and had a stand off.

"You really are your Father's little Bastard." she said while looking at the boy with a burning hate.

"I have a name y'know." he replied while taking another stance.

'Interesting that he doesn't argue about being a bastard.' she thought, trying not to laugh.

She then looked over at Temari and had a wicked idea on how to finish him. She dashed forward again with Naruto rushing to meet her as well. The both of them clashed in the center again with Naruto locking blades with his opponent. She then threw her other sai off to the side and towards Temari. This shocked Naruto, seeing how she wouldn't be able to get out of the way quickly enough because of her injuries. Naruto really had to book it with this one and dashed forward as fast as he could, putting himself right in the path of the three pronged dagger. Temari watched as Naruto deflected the weapn with his own. Then in horror, she saw that the enemy kunoichi exploited an opening in Naruto's defense and thrust the her other weapon into his ribs.

"Naruto!" she screamed when she heard saw him stabbed in the chest.

Naruto cried out in pain as she started to twist the blade inside is ribs, tearing through the flesh some more. He reached up with his left hand to grab hold of her right hand which was still holding on tightly to the weapon she was stabbing him with and he could feel his shirt getting wet from his blood soaking through the fabric. Then she drew another sai in her left hand and thrust forward, aiming for his face. Naruto quickly reacted by bringing his sword up to catch the weapon and only stopping it an inch from his eye.

"You're still able to block my attack. I'm impressed." she mocked as she started twisting the sai in her hand with the blade of Naruto's sword locked in between the prongs. "But now you're caught in between a rock and a hard place. If I keep twisting like so, one of two things will happen." she sneered. "Either you'll be forced to let go and I'll disarm you, or..." she stopped as the tension in the metal of Naruto's blade had reached it's limit before it snapped completely in half. "Checkmate." she taunted.

She then drew her now free weapon back for one more strike, aiming for his face again. Naruto reacted quickly, knowing this was gonna hurt, let go of her right hand and brought his left one up to stop her attack, allowing it to run through the palm of his hand and out the other side. Naruto cried out again in pain from feeling the blade scrape against the bones in his hand. She laughed at how he reacted and tried to pull it back out, but stopped when it wouldn't budge. Naruto then looked her dead in the eye with his crimson red ones before, to her surprise, pushing his hand forward, allowing the blade to continue through his hand before reaching the end and grabbing hold of of other hand and not letting go. She was so surprised by that, she didn't see what would come next.

He then lifted the hilt with the broken blade on it and brought it up towards his foe, thrusting the jagged blade through her neck. She gasped and blood began to leak from her mouth and trail down her chin. Naruto then pulled her forward to look her in the eyes one last time.

"If you see a guy named Gato on your way to Hell, tell him Naruto sends his regards." he told her before pulling the blade back out.

Then allowed her to fumble backwards, grabbing at her neck and trying desperately to breath again as well as stop the bleeding, but with no success. She glared at Naruto with hatred one last time before gurgling and falling over dead before them both.

"Naruto!" Temari shouted still struggling to get back up.

Naruto looked at the shattered remains of his sword. "Heh, this was my favorite sword too." he smiled before wincing in pain.

"Naruto, please let me help you." said Temari as he turned to face her.

"Are you alright now Temari?" he asked before actually pulling the blade back out of his hand and wincing at how much it hurt.

"Am I okay?! Naruto, you have a dagger sticking out of your chest!" she shouted with a combination of shock, anger and worry for him.

"Yeah and it really hurts. I could use some help getting it back out." he replied.

Naruto then got down to her level and let her grab hold of the hilt. "On the count of three." she told him. "One...two...three!" she shouted before yanking it back out with all her strength.

Naruto screamed out loud enough to frighten quite a few birds and causing them to fly off. "Thanks Temari." he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"Naruto, I'm not done, I still need to help stop the bleeding." she replied, trying to remain calm but still worried he's gonna drop dead in front of her from the blood loss.

"Temari, I'm fine." he replied calmly. "I'm more worried about you." he told her.

"Let me check you now." she ordered and forced him to lift his shirt up.

Much to her surprise, the bleeding had already stopped on it's own and so quickly. Moreover, she could see the wounds sealing on their own with a hissing noise as they closed up without even leaving a scar. How could she have forgotten that Naruto had a quick healing factor because of the Kyuubi's chakra. She could almost kick herself for worrying over him like a mother hen.

"See? I told you, I'm fine." he said with a smile. "And like I said, I'm more worried ab-" he was cut off when she grabbed hold of his shoulder and pulled him into a kiss.

Naruto was surprised at first, but he relaxed and closed his eyes before kissing her back. The both of them kissed for a good long while before breaking for breath, but remaining close enough for her to rest her forehead against his. She smiled at him and he at her as her teal green eyes met his blue ones.

"You were willing to take an assassin's blade for me." she said softly to him.

Naruto smiled back. "And I'd do it again and again, even without a healing factor." he replied.

Temari smiled back at that. "Come on, we need to meet back up with-" she stopped herself because she tried getting back up again, only to gasp in from the pain that shot through her body. "Damn it." she cursed, still not being able to stand.

Naruto then got up to help her. "Let me help you Temari." he offered.

She smiled up at him again. "I really appreciate that." she replied, taking his hand. She was expecting him to left her loop an arm over his shoulder or something but was surprised when he actually lifted her up and was now carrying her bridal style. "Naruto, you don't have to carry me like this." she protested.

Naruto only smirked again. "It's no problem at all Temari. You're really light and easy to carry." he told her.

"Naruto!" she gasped in response before blushing and looking off to the side shyly from the compliment. "Thank you." she replied.

"Now hold on, I'm gonna get us back to the others as soon as possible." he told her.

Once she brought both arms up to hold onto his neck and shoulders, Naruto bound up towards the trees and started dashing from tree branch to tree branch with his young bride in his arms. All the while, Temari kept on watching the look of determination on his face.

'He fights two battles to the death and suffers several sever injuries and yet is still able to carry my as if I weigh nothing while dashing through the trees at top speed.' she thought as she started blushing again. 'Naruto, you're so macho.' she said inwardly and looking at him in a dreamy sort of way.

It didn't take long at all though before they managed to see someone approaching from a distance. Naruto and Temari were both relieved to see that it was Neji Hyuuga. Both of them stopped on a branch and Neji did the same soon after.

"Naruto, Temari, you're both alive. Were you able to fend off your attackers?" he asked his friends.

"Not that it was easy, but yeah." Naruto replied.

"Are you severely injured Temari?" Neji asked her.

"Pretty badly banged up from a paper bomb and I took a blade to the leg, but I've stopped the bleeding and Naruto reached me in time before any more damage could be done." she replied.

"And how about you Naruto, are you okay?" he asked him.

"Nothing I haven't recovered from in the past." he answered.

"That is gratifying to hear." he said in relief.

"Neji, was anybody else injured or killed?" Naruto asked, really worried about the chances that he may have lost some friends this day.

"Nobody was killed in the attack." he answered which gave Naruto a chance to breath easier. "But many of us were pretty badly injured. Lee, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Kiba had it the worst." he told him.

"How badly?" He asked back.

"Bad." he replied. "All four of them needed to be taken to a local village not far from here to be properly treated." he told him.

"Please take us to them." Naruto asked him.

Neji nodded and he took off with Naruto, still carrying Temari in his arms, followed him.

[The Trading Village]

Neji would lead both Naruto and Temari to what looked like a local clinic and they would enter to see the place was kind of in a panic. There were only a few staff and they were rushing from one room to another with arms full of medical supplies to try and treat their wounded friends. Naruto walked up to the counter, still carrying Temari in his arms and cleared his throat with the hopes of getting the attention of whoever was on the other side of the desk. There was a middle aged man who heard him and turned to see both blondes and sighed in what can only be a combination of both frustration and fatigue. Naruto could tell by the tired look in his eyes that they've been on their feet all day long and he wasn't prepared for this.

"Another one eh?" he asked him.

"She needs help yeah. Some cuts and bruises and a leg wound." he told him.

"Listen Son." he replied, trying to be as nice as he can. "It's not that I don't wanna help any of you, but this isn't a hospital, it's only a clinic. My staff and I aren't trained to treat the wounded in this kinda manner." he told him.

"Are you turning us away?" Naruto asked him.

"I didn't say that." he replied. "It's just, there are now more people here than we can treat all at once. To say that we're overwhelmed is an understatement." he explained.

"I understand your situation Sir." said Neji, budding in. "But we've already sent word for reinforcements who should be here by tonight. They will bring medics of their own to treat the wounded and we'll make sure you're all well paid for your services." he told him.

"Oh very well." he replied. "Go ahead and bring her in the back and I'll have someone come in as soon as they have a moment." he told him.

"Thanks." Naruto replied before taking Temari into a back room.

Naruto walked up and laid her down gently onto the soft bed with white sheets. It wasn't until he finally put her down did he realize that his arms were so tired. Temari lay her head on the pillow and started breathing regularly again.

"Kami, it feels like I haven't had a chance to lay down and relax now since forever." she said with a small smile.

Naruto got a chair and brought it up to the side of her bed and took a seat so he could remain by her side. "It was a hell of a fight wasn't it?" he asked her to which she nodded.

"Who do you think were those guys?" she asked him.

"I haven't got a clue." he confessed. "They weren't wearing Hitai Ate so it's not too clear which village they're from, but they were too well trained to be simply rogue ninja looking for a chance to score some easy money." he said, really thinking about it.

"That's not all." she replied. "They were clearly after the both of us. Whoever sent them wanted us dead and I'm pretty sure it's someone who has a grudge against your Father." she told him.

"Well, that's one hell of a list to try and narrow it down." he replied. "Mom and Dad have both made many very powerful enemies throughout their lives and they've all pretty much promised to kill us." he explained. "I feel really bad now that you're involved with this." he confessed, now feeling guilty that Temari has ended up in the state she was in because of his family.

He then felt her hand on his and turned to see her smiling. "Naruto, Don't forget that I'm a ninja too." she told him. "I knew I was gonna be in for a dangerous life when I decided to walk this path and I'm fully prepared for that. But I don't blame you or your parents for anything at all and I'm happy that I'll be joining your family really soon." she told him.

Naruto smiled back and responded by taking her hand in his and gently squeezing it in an affectionate manner. That was when they heard a knock at the door and looked to see a young nurse.

"I understand that there's an injured person in this room?" she asked.

"That's me." Temari called out.

"Very well Miss." she replied before entering the room. "I would like to have you sit up and I need to take a look at any and all injuries to your body. It's important that we do a full inspection so as not to miss anything. I also understand that you have a serious leg injury. I would like to take a look at the wound and make sure that it's not infected or anything." she then turned to Naruto. "I apologize Sir, but I must ask you to leave." she told him.

Naruto looked one more time back to Temari. "I'll be fine Naruto, just wait outside." she told him.

Naruto nodded and headed out while the nurse instructed Temari to remove her clothing so she could get a better look at the damage.

[Konoha]

Minato was finishing up and getting dressed into his full Hokage uniform. Slipping on his jonin flak jacket and his white, flame clad coat, he was ready to go once he had on his Hitai Ate with the leaf emblem on it. He walked down the hallway and was eager to get to the front gate as soon as possible. When he had received news that his son was attacked along the road, he couldn't believe it and Kushina nearly had a heart attack. They were both relieved though when they heard that there were only some injuries but no casualties by the time the fighting had ended. Minato gave his wife one last emotional goodbye before heading out the door and flashing to the Hokage tower. There, he had his full team he had chosen for the mission.

Before him was Shikaku Nara, Tsume and Hana Inuzuka with all their hounds, Kuromaru and the Haimaru Triplets, along with Might Gai and Asuma Sarutobi who've just gotten back from their missions, Ibiki Morino, Anko Mitarashi and four teams of Anbu Black Ops in their black cloaks and diverse masks. Minato took a moment to address the teams before they would head out.

"I'm sure you're all fully aware of what has happened but let's go over this again." he started. "Today, we've received a messge from Shino Aburame from Team Kurenai that my Son, my future Daughter in law and the teams who were supposed to be escorting them to Suna were ambushed on their way there. While the teams were all successful in fending off their attackers, many members have been very critically injured. We've got the coordinates as to where they are so now we need to move as quickly as we can to get there. The clinic that they're staying at isn't prepared to treat the kind of injuries that many of them have so we need to take the pressure off. We need to be there before sundown, any questions?" he asked.

Once there was no response, he nodded his head at that. "Very well, then lets be one our way." he ordered and they all dashed off after their Hokage.

The Yellow Flash and his teams all rocketed over rooftops so fast, that the people on the streets thought for a moment that the wind was simply acting up and trying to blow them over or something. It wasn't even a minute before they were all out the front gate and dashing through the trees. All the while, members were talking with one another like the Inuzukas.

"Any idea what kinda trouble Kiba may have gotten himself into this time Mom?" Hana asked her as they jumped from tree branch to tree branch.

"Given that he's his Father's Son, I can only guess he was being either stupid, careless or trying to protect someone he really loves." she replied. "I wouldn't be surprised at all if he was all banged up because he was trying to protect Hinata. He's grown to really like the kid." she commented.

"I like her too." Hana remarked. "Personally, I'm surprised that Hiashi-Sama was willing to let Kiba date his Daughter." she said.

"He's too old, stupid and stubborn to admit it, but Hiashi wants both his Daughters to be happy and is really hoping that they'll find love on their own." she replied before sneering. "He also doesn't have the balls to say that my Boy isn't good enough for her." she chuckles.

Behind them, Gai and Asuma were talking as well. Asuma could see a really worried look on his face. "I take it that look is about Lee?" he asked him.

"I should have trained him better." he confessed. "If I had simply better prepared him for his first mission without me, he probably wouldn't have ended up with such serious injuries." he admitted sadly.

"Don't beat yourself up over it Gai. You did a great job training him." replied Asuma. "Don't forget, they were ambushed and what's most important is that they all survived, including Lee. You have a great student who's very strong." he told him.

"This is the second time though that he's been very badly hurt now." he replied, still not looking back up. "And this time, I wasn't there for him. I keep failing him." he said mournfully.

"You've only failed if Lee had died, but he hasn't and you know once he gets back up, he'll be training even harder than ever." he told him. "And Lee would never blame you for what's happened to him. He was well aware of the dangers of becoming a ninja and you've done everything you were supposed to do as his friend and sensei. Train him the best you could." he told him.

Gai then looked over to Asuma. "How about you?" he asked. "This was your team's first solo mission too. Were you at all worried for them when you finally allowed them to set off on their own?" he asked him.

"Of course." he replied. "I think it's only natural to be worried for your team when you send them off on their own for the first time. But I've trained them and I have faith in their skills and my faith in them was rewarded when I learned that they were able to complete their task and protecting the Hokage's Son." he then looked back over to Gai again. "And while I do feel bad that Shikamaru has been injured, I have faith he'll pull through. He may not look or act it, but he's a lot stronger than most people give him credit for." he told him.

At the very front, Anko was talking with Minato and Ibiki. "So what's the plan once we get there Hokage-Sama?" she asked him.

"First things first, we need to treat the injured." he replied. "That's why we're bringing as many medics as the Anbu are able to spare. The clinic that they're at isn't meant to handle that many people all at once and not meant to deal wit those kinds of injuries. We need to get there ASAP and relieve the pressure they're under." he told her.

"And after that?" she asked.

"After that, we're gonna split up and go our separate ways." he told her. "Ibiki, Shikaku, Tsume, Hana, Asuma and Gai will take half the Anbu and escort the teams back to Konoha. They've all done their part and they need a rest. Meanwhile, you and the remaining Anbu are coming with me and we'll be completing the trip to Konoha with Temari and my Son." he told her.

Minato didn't notice the wicked smirk on Anko's face when she heard that. 'So I'll get to travel with the Brat and Princess huh?' she asked herself inwardly. 'This could be a chance to tease them both and maybe see how close they are. I wonder if Temari has popped his cork yet.' she wondered as her smile only got wider. 'This will be fun.' she thought as she licked her lips.

[Author's Notes] Boy am I glad to finally be done with this chapter and that whole battle. The scenes were way harder to describe than I thought they would be so I hope you all enjoyed it.

Also, bear in mind that I have done some more rewriting and updating to some previous chapters. Chapters 7, 8 and 9 have been rewritten and redone so that they are up to date with the matching writing style. Once I've done 10, 11, 12 and 13, I'll finally be done and I can start updating regularly like I used to. Please feel free to try out 7, 8 and 9 if you wish and I hope you really appreciate it.

As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories and I hope you all enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoy writing em. Please leave me either a Review or a PM as I love getting them and if you have any thoughts or ideas to make the story better, please lay em on me as I love reading what you guys have to say.

This is Dragon1990 wishing you all a very Marry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Years! :-)


	18. A Change In Plans

[Local Clinic]

Naruto and Temari's escort didn't have to wait very long at all for help to arrive. There's a reason that Minato Namikaze is called the Yellow Flash. Even without using his Hiraishin No Jutsu to get there, he arrived with help in only a matter of hours. Naruto waited out front to speak with his father while various teams and their medics went in to relieve the local doctors of the work they've been overwhelmed with and tend to the wounded ninja within. In no time at all, Temari, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kiba and Lee were already being taken care of by the best medics that Konoha could have trained. And of course, the adults were offering some words of council to their kids to help them come to terms with the harsh battles they had to endure. Even those with minor injuries were feeling pretty bad.

Right now, Tsume and Hana were in a room with Kiba and Akamaru who really took a beating. Hana was dressing Akamaru's injuries being a vet after all while Tsume spoke with her young son as a medic worked on his wounds.

"I was told you fought like a cornered wolf by Shino and Hinata. You seem to have handled yourself pretty well." she told him.

"Thanks Mom." he replied. "Although I probably could have handled it better-" he began before she cut him off.

"But you're stupid." she said which stopped him.

"Wha-?" he asked, offended that his mom would say that.

"Kiba, I've told you plenty of times now that being a Shinobi isn't a game." she scolded with her arms crossed under her chest. "We put you kids into teams for a reason. I can understand that anything can happen during a battle but splitting up during a fight with an unknown enemy because you were willing to let your feelings cloud your judgement was a really stupid move. It's that kind of thinking that can get you killed." she explained while he sat there.

Kiba took a moment to think about that before letting out a tired sigh. "Yes Ma'am." he replied.

"Okay." she said after placing her hand on his shoulder. Kiba looked up to see her smiling. "Now that I'm finished scolding you, I wanna let you know how proud I am of you." she said with her shit eating grin. "You held your own against a stronger enemy to protect someone you loved. I wouldn't have expecting anything less. You still gotta learn to use your head, but your heart is definitely in the right place. I'm proud of you kiddo and I know if he was here your Father would be proud of you too." she told him.

Kiba smiled back at that. His mother believed in tough love and was very strict so getting praise like this was rare for him or his sister. He knew she was telling the truth when she said that. "Thanks Mom." he replied finally. He then looked over to his sister who looked like she was done working on his Ninken. "How is he?" he asked her.

"Much better." she replied. "He's gonna need some rest and wait awhile before he'll be able to start training again. Just like you. But, he's gonna make a full recovery" she informed him.

"That's good to hear." he said relieved as she brought him over to him so they could rest together. "Hey Boy." Kiba said as Akamaru gently licked his hand while he was being pet.

"Y'know, you and Akamaru saved Hiashi's eldest child today. You've brought great honor to yourself and to our Clan Kid." said Tsume.

In another room, Sasuke was having his wound looked at by another medic. She had him lay down while she ran her hand with glowing healing chakra over the large gash he had in his chest from his fight. The good news was that none of the damage was too bad and the doctors here did a great job of stopping the bleeding. Now they just needed to try and seal it up and let Sasuke rest a bit and he'll be good as new. The whole time since he arrived, Sakura never left his side. She waited and worried the whole time for him ever since he was first ran through by that assassin.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Sakura asked the medic.

"It's gonna take some time but he'll be back to normal in a few days." she replied from behind her mask.

Sasuke seemed a bit distracted though as he eavesdropped on other conversations in the room. "I take it by Brother couldn't come?" he asked the medic.

"I'm afraid not Sasuke-Sama." she said before removing her Anbu mask to reveal that she was a fellow Uchiha. "But he did have me come on this mission to offer what aid I could and to look after you." she explained.

"I figured as much." he grumbled. "Even as I lay here after battle and injured he still can't be bothered to leave his desk to come and help me." he said grudgingly.

"With respect Sasuke-Sama, that's not true." she protested as she kept working on the wound in his chest. "Itachi-Sama wanted to leave. He was willing to abandon his whole day's schedule and come here to aid his little Brother but it was the Hokage that requested that he stay. He said that in case anything should happen while he was gone, he wanted Jiraiya-Sama to have whatever aid he needed." she told him.

"See Sasuke-Kun, Itachi wanted to come and was willing, he just couldn't." said Sakura which did get an understanding sigh from Sasuke.

"Alright, the wound is closed." said the medic who allowed Sasuke to lay his arm down again. "But I'd like to recommend that you take it easy for the next few days. If you overdo it you may tear that wound open again.' she explained.

"Alright, thanks." said Sasuke as he did his best to relax in his bed again.

Shikamaru and Lee had it the worst out of everyone. Shikamaru was currently laying down covered from head to toe in bandages while two medics worked on him. His father Shikaku talked with him the whole time.

"I heard that you had it pretty bad but they didn't know the half of it. You look like a mess Shikamaru." said Shikaku to his son.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." replied Shikamaru who stirred a little bit in his bed. "I'm starting to think I made a huge mistake." he added.

"You were taken by surprise and had a mission to complete. It could have ended way worse so I think you and your team did really well." replied his dad.

"That's not what I'm talking about." said Shikamaru who was able to sit up now. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a ninja. My first real mission as a Chunin and I'm reduced to a punching bag while everyone else is scattered and forced to fight for themselves. The fact that none of us were killed was nothing short of a miracle, not because I was able to think of a strategy that worked but because everyone else was able to fight them off while I laid around needing someone else to take care of me. And they only barely managed. I'm just not cut out for this kind of work Dad." he said looking pretty down.

"Son, do you know how many times I've had my ass handed to me over the years?" he asked him. "Just because you took a beating it doesn't mean that you're a failure. If you lose a fight and you're still alive, then you're not a loser you're just lucky." he told him. "And ask yourself this." he continues. "Do you really think that if you just threw in the towel and called it quits that things would be any better for your friends? Because they will still be going on more missions in the future and many of these missions will be extremely dangerous. Some of them may even die on them so if you leave, who're they gonna be able to depend on?" he asked him before placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Shikamaru, your Mother and I allowed you to enroll as a Shinobi because we have faith in you. Have faith in yourself." he finished.

Shikamaru was quiet for a minute as he took a few to think it through before he finally sighed and responded. "Yeah, okay I see your point." he smiled back. "Besides, I don't think Mom

would let me quit anyway." he added.

"Damn straight." replied Shikaku with a smirk.

And in another room, Gai was also giving a very energetic and motivational speech to uplift Lee's spirit. "Lee" Gai started with a long pause as tears rolled down his cheeks comically. "I'm so sorry for what you had to go through." he said as he placed his hands upon his shoulders. "I should have worked harder to better prepare you for this fight. It's because of me that you've been so badly hurt again and will now have to spend a month before you've fully recovered and are ready to train again. I've failed you as a Teacher." he said as he started weeping in an over dramatic manner while Tenten and Neji watched on with embarrassed expressions.

"No, please Sensei." Lee who was covered all over in wrapping except for his eyes and mouth. "Please don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known that we were gonna be ambushed by such powerful and extremely dangerous enemies like the ones who attacked us." he said as tears began flowing down his cheeks just as comically. "You shouldn't have to shoulder so many burdens Sensei! I promise that I won't let these injuries keep me down! Once I've made a full recovery, I will use this experience to train even harder than ever!" he declared.

"That's the spirit Lee!" cheered Gai now rising to his full height. "I can see the flaming spirit and power of Youth flowing through you like a mighty Volcano of Youth just overflowing with Youth and Power!" he shouted as he struck an epic pose.

Both Tenten and Neji were just embarrassed at this point. "I really wish Sensei and Lee would give this hype of theirs a rest." she said bringing a hand to to her head.

"You and I both Tenten." replied Neji, with his usually stoic manner.

Outside, Minato spoke with Naruto in private. Naruto was explaining how they were all traveling in the formations that Shikamaru arranged and about halfway to Suna they were ambushed by a band of powerful ninja. He went into details about their divide and conquer strategy which forced everyone to split off and fend for themselves. He also went into great details about his battle with their leader who very nearly killed him in the fight. And Naruto finished by explaining how it was a close call but he came out on top in the end, killed his enemy and then saved Temari before bringing her to this clinic where everyone else was currently being treated. All the time he talked, Minato watched and listened intensely and Naruto saw that look in his dad's eye. How he was putting it all together piece by piece.

"So what do you think Dad?" he asked once he finished telling his story. "I don't think this was just a band of Rogue Ninja hoping to make a quick buck." he told him.

"I'm not convinced that's the case either." he said crossing his arms and thinking about it. "From what you explained, this almost sounded personal or like they were tasked by someone for this job. Did you get a look at their Hitai Ate?' he asked him.

Naruto let out a tired sigh. "No they weren't wearing any." he answered. "Do you think they may be Tracker Ninja?" he asked back.

"That would make sense. Tracker Ninja are trained for high risk missions like Assassination and it sounds to me like you and Temari were the targets." he concluded.

"Why would they come after Temari and I?" he asked. "I don't think we've made that many enemies and certainly not with any villages." he told him.

"I'm going on a hunch here, but I'll bet it was because they want revenge for something Kushina and I may have done. Your Mother and I have made many enemies in our lifetimes and I know that there are some who'd wanna hurt you to get back at us." he explained.

"Any enemies that come to mind?" Naruto asked him.

"The first three that come to mind are the Raikage, the Tsuchikage and Orochimaru." he answered. "Is there anything else you can tell me about your assassins?' he asked his son.

"The guy I fought changed mid battle." he answered.

"Changed? In what way?" he asked.

"Like into a monster or a demon." Naruto answered. "The guy I fought got bigger, faster, stronger and looked really ugly. Sharp teeth, horns and everything. Choji and Ino said that the guy they were fighting did something similar. One of Orochimaru's sick and twisted experiments maybe?" he asked his dad.

"I wouldn't put it past him." replied Minato. "But sending assassins after you seems a little out of his character. Orochimaru hates me, there's no question about it but his end goal is to destroy Konoha. His first attempt failed and he suffered heavy casualties in the battle. He would need several years to recover from this fight so I don't think he'd take big risks like trying to kill you and Temari. Besides, what would he have to gain other than petty revenge? Even had he succeeded in his plot to have you both killed it wouldn't really accomplish anything. Orochimaru is very careful before he makes a move and he'd never do something unless there was something for him to gain at the end of it. So I'm not too convinced that it's him." he finished explaining.

"Well, what about the Raikage?" Naruto asked him. "He has a grudge against you doesn't he?" he asked him.

"It's possible but I rather doubt it." he replied. "Lord A may personally hate me but he doesn't want either the Namikaze or Uzumaki bloodlines broken. What he wants are the Namikaze and Uzumaki bloodlines and the Kyuubi. Capturing you would get him all three of those things so I sincerely doubt he'd want you dead. If he had his way, he'd capture you, not kill you, bring you back to Kumo and annex you into the ranks of his Kumo Ninja and then choose a young and healthy Kunoichi for you so he can breed a new clan of ninja for his village." he told his son.

"Then that just leaves the Tsuchikage." said a third voice. Naruto and Minato turned to see Temari standing at the door of the clinic and she looked good as new. "Hey you two." she greeted with her trademark smile.

"Temari?" Naruto asked.

"I hope you didn't miss me too badly." she said with a cute little wink of hers.

"Temari, are you sure you're okay?" Naruto asked, walking up to speak with his young bride. "You were so badly hurt earlier." he said worried about her well being.

"I'm fine Naruto." she replied. "The paper bomb that went off during my battle did more damage to my battle fan than to me. The damage wasn't anything that the medics couldn't handle." she told him.

"But what about where you were stabbed? That wound looked pretty bad." he said still worried about her.

"It looked worse than it actually was." she replied. "They were able to close it and repair the damage easy. I'm feeling just a little numb now but it'll fade away soon." she explained, trying to reassure him.

"But Temari-" he said before she cut him off by leaning forward and giving him a quick peck on the cheek which made him turn bright red.

"I promise, I'm alright Naruto." she said with a smile. "And thank you, your concern is touching." she told him before turning to Minato. "Do you think that maybe Iwa would be the ones who sent these assassins after Naruto and I?" she asked him.

"That would make sense." he replied thinking it over. "Onoki's hatred of me is well known and he still hasn't forgiven me for the many Iwa Ninja I killed during the Third Shinobi World War. And I wouldn't put it past him to resort to such a cowardly move like going after my Family to have revenge against me." he said.

"There's more to it I'm sure." she replied. "Don't forget that before my marriage arrangement with Naruto, Iwa was scouting out the borders of the Land of Wind. They wouldn't have done that before when we still had an alliance with Konoha. The temporary end to that alliance emboldened them. I'm sure that the Tsuchikage isn't happy about my marriage to Naruto and wanted us both out of the picture so he could safely attack Suna while they still had no allies." she explained.

"That does make a lot of sense.' replied the Hokage. "Onoki has wanted to destroy both Konoha and Suna for a long time but never could because of our alliance with one another. It would be far easier for him to do so if we were divided than united." he said to both his son and soon to be daughter in law.

"But Dad, how could he know about our marriage arrangement?" Naruto asked his father. "These were negotiations held in private between our village leasers." he added.

"That's actually a very good question Naruto." replied Minato. "The thing is, he couldn't know. So the answer to that question in another question. Who told him?" he asked back.

"So does this mean we could be looking at war with Iwa?" asked Temari.

"No, I'm afraid not." he replied.

"Why?!" asked both teens at once.

"Just because it makes sense that Iwa is the most likely suspect doesn't mean that he is." he replied. "You said yourselves that these assassins who attacked you weren't wearing any Hitai Ate so we can't figure out which villages they come from. I believe that you both are right, that Iwa and the Tsuchikage are involved. But we need proof. If we were to simply declare war right now, we'd look like the aggressors which wouldn't do us a lot of good politically." he told them.

"So that's it then? We just forget about it?" Naruto asked a little frustrated.

"I didn't say that." he replied with a smirk. He sent out a small ripple of chakra and instantly, an Anbu Guard flashed in.

"Hokage-Sama." he said from behind his mask.

"I want you to send for Ibiki Morino, Anko Mitarashi, Hinata Hyuuga, Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka and Tenten. Also, assemble the rest of our Anbu teams." he ordered.

"Yes Sir." he said and was gone in a flash.

It didn't take long at all before everyone that Minato had asked for was standing outside for him. "I know that you've all been through a lot and I hate to request more, but this is very important." said the Hokage to the young Kunoichi assembled.

"Please, how can we help you Hokage-Sama?" asked Sakura.

"I'm going to divide everyone up into separate teams." he started. "Each one of you will lead a small team of Anbu to the battlefields where you defeated your enemies." he said before turning to Temari and his son. "Naruto, Temari, I'd like you to help as well." he told them.

"Of course Hokage-Sama." replied Temari.

"Sure thing Dad." replied Naruto.

"Very good." he said. "Sakura, I need you to lead Squad 14 to the place where you and Sasuke fought." he told her.

"Yes Sir." replied the young pinkette.

"Ino, I need you to lead Squad 13, Hinata Squad 11, and Tenten Squan 10." he listed before turning back to Temari and Naruto. "Temari, I want you to lead Ibiki's team to where you fought your opponent." he told her.

"Wait a minute." Naruto said as he counted out the teams. "That means I'm with-" he said before he was cut off by the leader of the last team.

Naruto found in arm looped around his shoulder and the side of his face pressed up against a large pair of tits. "Looks like it's just you and me Kid." said Anko with a playful and sexy smile.

"HEY!" shouted Temari, not happy with how close Anko is pressing her fiancee to her body.

"Don't worry don't worry." said Anko waving her hand at the young blonde. "I'll return him just as soon as we're done and I promise he won't be spoiled." she said with a wink.

"You all have you assignments. Dismissed." said the Hokage.

"Yes Sir." replied everyone in unison and they were off.

[With Naruto And Anko]

Naruto was dashing from tree branch to tree branch with Anko and two Anbu guards right behind him. While he led them to the spot where he faced his opponent, he felt her eyes on him the whole time. He looked back and each time he did, he could see the smuggest looking grin on her face. Naruto knew Anko Mitarashi well enough to know what was on her mind. It really wasn't fair sometimes because everyone always considered Naruto a pervert just because he was Jiraiya's new apprentice. But nobody ever thought that way about Anko and she was messed up on several different levels. Kami only knows what was going on through her head and each time he looked back at her, she looked more and more like she wanted to eat him. Finally, he decided to break the silence.

"Yes Anko, what is it?" he asked without looking back.

"Soooooooo." she started, just itching to see his reaction. "You and the Desert Princess." she said, obviously referring to Temari.

"I'm sure my Dad has told you about our engagement by now so what else is there to say?" he asked back.

"I've just noticed lately that you two seem to be pretty close." she remarked as she stopped following him and was now jumping right next to him.

"Well, she and I are getting married so we decided to take the time to get to know each other better." he replied. "And it's been very nice. I really enjoy being in her company and she's been a great friend." he told her.

"Yeah yeah that's all very nice." she said waving off the whole friend thing. "But I get the sense there's obviously more to it." she said getting a small blush.

"If you must know, she and I have gone on lots of dates and if you haven't seen us in public we do hold hands and kiss. And we're not ashamed of it either." he told her.

"And I didn't think that you had to be." she replied. "But now I'm curious, you say that you're taking the time to get to know one another?" she asked as her smile got bigger.

"Y-Yes?" he asked back.

"When you say "Know" do you mean "Know or _Know_?" she asked looking even more sinister as the conversation went on.

"Where are you going with this?" he asked blushing and not really looking where he was going.

"Are you two fucking?" she asked plainly.

"WHAT?!" he screamed before slamming right into the trunk of a tree because he wasn't watching where he was going.

[With Ibiki And Temari]

It didn't take long at all for Temari to lead Ibiki and the Anbu guards who were with him to the battlefield where she fought her opponent and where Naruto saved her life. She was a little distracted by that fact and found herself thinking about the battle. Watching him fight so fiercely was so awe inspiring. And the fact that he went so far as to risk his life for her was something she had been thinking about all day. Ibiki was already seeing evidence of fierce battle before they even reached the sight were the fight ended. Several trees have been cut pretty deeply and even a few were cut down completely and they could tell by the cuts in the wood and soil and by how smooth they were that it was Temari's wind style jutsu attacks. They finally arrived when they found pools of blood but there was a problem.

The body of Temari's opponent was nowhere to be seen. "I don't understand." said the young blonde as she looked left and right. "This is the spot where I fought her before Naruto ended it. She was laying right over there." she said pointing towards the spot where there was a large puddle of bloody mud.

Ibiki examined it closely and although who came was careful, he found some evidence that someone else came to the battlefield shortly after the fight was over. "Well if she was, she's here no more." he said standing back up. "Seems like someone is trying to cover things up." he said turning back to her.

"You mean someone came and got rid of the bodies before you could recover them." she replied.

"That's what it looks like.' he replied. "While we still can't confirm who sent these assassins after you, we can confirm that they were indeed Tracker Ninja. Nobody would wanna risk their dead being examined by rival villages and losing some of their secrets. It's a little hard to tell but I'm guessing someone else arrived two or three hours after the fighting was done to dispose of the bodies, eliminating any evidence as to who would make an attempt on your lives." he explained.

"Damn." Temari cursed while crossing her arms. "I was really hoping that we could get some answers and maybe even some retribution." she said in frustration. She then looked back up at Ibiki. "So what do we do now?" she asked him.

"You've already did as the Hokage had asked and brought us to the battlefield." he replied. "This is where your job ends and ours begins. You go ahead and head back to report to the Hokage. The Anbu and I are gonna be here for a few more hours and see if we can find at least something." he told her.

"Alright, I'll head back and give the Hokage my report." she said as she walked away.

"Watch yourself." replied Ibiki as he continued his examination of the battlefield.

The same thing happened for all the other groups too. Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Hinata and Tenten would lead the teams where they did battle and although they'd find plenty of damage to the scenery, there wasn't a body to be found. They'd stay for only a bit before each of the genin would be sent back to report to the Hokage while Anko, Ibiki and the Anbu Black Ops would stay and investigate the battlefields, trying to find any clues as to who made an attempt on Naruto and Temari's lives. They managed to find some clues worth examining but during their searches but no hard evidence. Whoever came here was very thorough and made absolutely sure that there wasn't any worthwhile evidence for the Konoha ninja to find. It was gonna be a long night for the teams the Minato sent out. The was for damn sure.

[Otogakure]

By now, Orochimaru was no longer confined to his bed. He had regained much of his formal strength and was getting used to his new body, but he still wasn't at a level needed to start working again. For now, he sat in a chair at the far end of a room where he was going over some of his research with Kabuto. The silver haired medic faithfully followed all of the instructions that his master gave him while the lord of Oto sat and thought critically. For a while now, he had been thinking about his recent defeat at the hands of Minato during the battle of Konoha and has been wanting revenge for it. He was so deep in thought that he barely heard Kabuto speak to him, informing him that the Sound Ninja Five have returned from their assignment and were ready to deliver their report.

"Orochimaru-Sama, would you like to speak with them?" he asked.

"Yes of course. Let them in Kabuto." said the snake Sannin as he sat back comfortably in his chair.

Much to his surprise, only four of the five entered but they did have someone else with them too. "We've completed our mission Orochimaru-Sama." said Kidomaru with a wicked sneer across his lips.

"So Takigakure is..." Orochimaru started before Sakon finished.

"Destroyed." he said with a cruel look in his eyes.

"And as you instructed, we slaughtered half the people there and let the remaining half escape." said Tayuya with her arms crossed and her usual scowl on her face.

"Very good." replied their master with a satisfied grin. "I take it that I won't be seeing Kimimaro anytime soon?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not Orochimaru-Sama. He's dead." replied Sakon.

"His sickness had finally taken it's toll." said Jirobo. "When he realized that he wasn't gonna survive he offered to remain behind and cover our escape. He died slaughtering as many Taki ninja in battle as he could before the final blow was struck." he explained.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.' replied Orochimaru. "Kabuto had done much to prolong his life but without those medical records of his clan there was little anyone could do. But perhaps this really is for the best. He had hoped to be of some use to me and since he could no longer serve as a suitable vessel, death in service to my ambitions is the next best thing for him." he said before looking towards the fifth person standing behind the four. "I take it you were successful in the other condition of your mission as well?" he asked. A young lady who looked to be the same age as the four, maybe younger stepped forward. She had orange colored eyes, mint colored hair and caramel skin. "Are you the Jinchuuriki of Takigakure?" he asked with a sneer.

"Yes Sir." she said nervously. "I hold the Shichibi or Seven Tailed Horned Beetle." she told him. "My Lord, is what the Sound Ninja Five told me true?" she asked.

"That depends, what did they say?" he asked back.

"That if I came back here, you'd let me stay?" she asked. "And that nobody would treat me badly anymore?" she also asked.

Orochimaru's smile became even more wicked. "Swear your loyalty to me and to use your powers for my ambitions and I promise that you will be comfortable here. I'll even let you be friends with Kabuto and the Four." he promised which made her smile hopefully.

"Thank you so much Orochimaru-Sama." she said with a respectful bow.

"What is your name Young Lady?" he asked her.

"My name is Fuu." she answered.

[With Minato Ibiki And Anko]

After Minato had sent the Anbu teams off to their assignments, he had everyone else taken from the clinic to a nice inn after paying the people who looked after his ninja for him. He felt a small pang of guilt, looking over the kids who he sent on this escort mission for his son and future daughter in law. Kiba and Lee both needed crutches to get around, Sasuke's arm was in a sling and poor Shikamaru had the worst of it. Asuma and Shikaku had to carry him on a stretcher because of the damage done to his body. The young Nara heir was perfectly fine with it though because he was able to lay down and nap while he was carried from one place to another and he was pretty high on pain killers at the moment. That night, Ibiki, Anko and the Anbu squads would return. He talked with the special jonin in private.

"So, have you uncovered anything from the battlefield?" Minato asked them. "Anything at all we can go on?" he added.

"Afraid not." replied Ibiki. "Each team discovered that someone beat us to the scenes and cleaned up everything before we could collect any hard evidence linking who sent the assassins." he told them.

"We did manage to collect some blood samples, but unless we have any matching DNA samples back at the labs then they won't really do us any good." said Anko.

"I see." said the Hokage who leaned back against a wall with his arms crossed. "I was really hoping that we could link Iwa to this." he told them.

"If you're so sure it's them, why not press charges?' Anko asked. "Bring this to the Daimyo of the Land of Iron and press charges against Iwa to levy concessions." she suggested.

"I'm entirely certain that the Tsuchikage is behind this. Who else would want my Son dead so badly?' he replied.

"But?" she asked back.

"But without any hard evidence it will be a claim made with proof. The Tsuchikage could simply accuse me of trying to smear his image and the last thing I wanna do is cause more political tension than there already is." he told them.

"I take it though that you still have a plan?" Ibiki asked him.

"We'll at least send the blood samples back with the Anbu and ask Tsunade to examine them. Maybe she'll find something." he replied. "Anko, Ibiki, I want you both to come with Naruto, Temari and myself tomorrow to Suna." he told them.

"Yes Sir." Ibiki said respectfully.

"I assume this means that the other teams are relieved of their duty?" asked Anko.

"The other teams have gone through enough." answered Minato. "Several of them will need some time to fully recover and they all need a rest after a long battle. I'm gonna consider their mission complete since Naruto and Temari are okay. Tomorrow, they're all going home with the teams we brought with us while you two come with me as we escort Naruto and Temari to Suna." he explained.

"Sounds fair enough." replied Anko.

"Then go ahead and get some rest now the both of you. We're gonna need it for the trip across the desert to the Sand Village." he informed them.

[Naruto's Room]

It was the middle of the night and Naruto was laying down in his bed with his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling of his hotel room. For over an hour now he'd been tossing and turning in his bed trying to get comfortable. The mattress and sheets were clean and nice and the pillow was just right but he still couldn't get comfortable enough to drift off to sleep. He's gone from laying on either his left or right, his back and his stomach and it still didn't help. After a while he just gave up and laid there and had hoped that sooner or later sleep will come to him. The window to his room was open so he had a clear view of the night sky and a crescent moon. He was also able to enjoy a pleasant breeze blow into his room and allow the place to cool down. He then heard a gentle knock at his door.

"Hello?" he asked, sitting up in his bed.

"Naruto? It's Temari." he heard on the other side. "Can I come in?" she asked.

Naruto wasn't expecting his fiancee this hour of the night. She was always in bed on time so she could start her days early. "Uh, sure please come in." he replied.

The door opened and the young blonde teen entered the room before closing it. He smiled a little looking at her. She was wearing one of the bathrobes the inn provided over her nightgown and her hair was down which he really liked. It's not that he had any real problems with her usual hairstyle mind you, but he really liked her natural beauty.

"I didn't wake you up did I?' she asked him.

"No, I was waiting to fall asleep." he answered. "Is everything okay?' he asked.

"Everything's fine." she smiled. "I would just like to talk if you have the time.' she told him.

Naruto smiled again. "I'm not going anywhere." he replied.

She walked over and took a seat on the side of his bed. Now that she was this close, he could get a whiff of her sweet scent. He could tell she had a bath not long ago and she as wearing her favorite perfume. Cinnamon Spice went so well with her.

She was quiet for a moment and only looked at him softly with a warm smile before finally talking. "You saved my life back there Naruto. You know that right?" she asked him.

"It was a close call." he replied. "Whoever she was, she was determined to kill you. I wasn't gonna let her." he told her.

"I just can't stop thinking about that." she said with admiration. "I watched from where I was as you fought what must have been a terrible battle with great risk to your own life." she said as she reached over and took his hand in hers. "Nobody's ever done that for me before Naruto.' she told him.

Naruto responded by gently squeezing her hand in his. "Temari, the whole time I fought my assassin, All I could think about was finding you." he told her sincerely. "I was so worried that I wasn't gonna make it to you in time. I feared that I was gonna catch up only to see you...I don't even want to say it." he confessed.

"I feel the same." she replied. "All throughout that terrible battle, I was scared that I was gonna lose you." she said as she moved in a little closer. "Naruto, I've never felt this way for anybody before in my life." she told him.

"Well it's over now." he smiled. "It was a hard fight but we came out on top in the end. And most importantly, I can breath easy knowing that you're safe.' he told her.

"Because of you." she replied. "You were there for me when I needed you the most. You even took an assassin's blade for me." she said, remembering when he was stabbed in the chest.

"And I would do it again Temari." he replied. "And again and again and again." he said.

She didn't say anything but smiled with a small blush forming on her cheeks. She then leaned in and Naruto knew what was coming. He blushed to as she got closer until their lips met in a soft and gentle kiss. Their eyes closed as they kissed again and again with the sounds of their lips and breaths being heard in the room. Then things began to heat up as Temari shifted so she could climb up onto the bed with him and she held his face in her hands while he brought his hands up to hold her face too. Naruto felt her tongue pressing against his teeth while they kissed which was her asking permission to enter so he opened up and the soft kissing turned into a passionate make out session. Temari moved in, gently forcing Naruto to lay down while she shifted to lay next to lay down comfortable next to him.

After what felt like an intense duel for dominance between their tongues that lasted forever, they finally broke apart to catch their breaths and they took a moment to regain their breathing. They blushed as there was still a small stream a drool that connected their tongues and lips.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're not just here to talk." he grinned as he wiped his mouth of his drool.

Temari was very nervous about it but she felt she could trust him with what she was about to ask. "Naruto...can...can I stay with you tonight?' she asked blushing.

Naruto wasn't expecting her to ask that. "Stay here?" he asked. "As in..you wanna..." he started.

"I'm...I'm not suggesting anything at all!" she said blushing and waving her hands frantically, hoping he didn't get the wrong idea.

"Oh no!" he said quickly, blushing too. "I wasn't implying..." he said and stopped as there was a long silence.

"It's just..." she said before calming down. "I would just like to share a bed with you tonight. If that's alright with you." she said, hoping he had no problem with it.

She got her answer when he first smiled, then moved over under the sheets before lifting the covers for her. She smiled and moved in so she could lay with him before he brought the covers down so they were both comfortably beneath them. At first, they just lay there side by side and not saying anything. But Naruto noticed that she was shifting to get closer. So he lifted his arm and she moved in to lay her head against his chest while he wrapped his arm around her to hold her close. She smiled and then looked up to lock lips with him one last time as they shared another passionate kiss before she broke it and lay her head back down. Temari bit by bit drifted off to sleep as she listened to the soft rhythm of his heartbeat. Minutes later, Naruto's eyes would also feel heavy and he too would finally drift off to sleep.

[Next Morning]

It was between seven and eight am when Temari awoke first. She was snoozing when she heard clicking noise. Kind of like the clicking of a camera. She opened her eyes and looked to see where it was coming from. Sure enough, there was Ino standing over her and a sleeping Naruto taking pictures. She did not like the sinister smile on the younger blonde's face.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty." said Ino as she smiled down at Temari who scowled at her. "By the way, you're drooling." she told her.

Temari blushed and wiped her chin before giving the other blonde an angry look. "Ino, if you value your life you better hand over that camera." she warned.

"I'm sorry. But nobody will believe me unless I have proof." she said as she took a step back.

Ino was Konoha's most notorious gossip and she knew this would be the most juiciest story to spread around the village. That the bride and groom were already sharing a bed.

"Ino. The Camera. Now." Temari hissed.

Ino responded by dashing out of the room with a furious Temari chasing after her, threatening to cram that camera up her ass if she didn't give her the pictures. This is what Naruto woke up to and he saw Anko standing in his doorway, seeing the whole thing unfold. She had a shit eating grin on her face.

"Nothing happened last night." Naruto said to the special jonin.

"Sure Kid." she said as she turned and walked away.

"Nothing happened!" Naruto shouted as he ran over to see her still walking casually down the hallway.

"If you say so Kid." she replied.

"NOTHING HAPPENED!" he shouted angrily.

"Uh huh." she replied.

Naruto let out a defeated sigh after that. 'This is already gonna be a rough day. She's never gonna let Temari and I live this down.' he thought.

[Later]

Once the morning excitement had subsided and everyone had a chance to calm down, Minato had everyone assemble outside the inn to address them one last time before they parted ways. Kiba stood with his mom and older sister while Shino and Hinata stood with them. Shikamaru was laying in a stretcher with Asuma and Shikaku on either side of it. Tenten, Lee who was with a pare of crutches and Neji stood with their sensei Gai while Ino and Choji stood with theirs. Sasuke stood off to the side with Sakura by his side and behind everyone were all the Anbu teams he brought with him. Minato stood facing them with Anko and Ibiki to his left and his son and soon to be daughter in law to his right. He took a moment to collect himself before finally speaking.

"I know that you have suffered a great deal, defending Naruto and Temari during your assignment." he began. "And I'm deeply sorry you all had to endure this in your line of duty. But I want you all to know how very proud I am of you. You all fulfilled the mission I gave you and you did so with the same bravery and determination that is found within only the best of Konoha Ninja. As your Hokage, I can grant you many rewards to show you my gratitude." he said before looking over to his son. "As a Father, I can only wish it is enough. Know that what you've done for me will not be forgotten and that you've all brought great honor to both your families and names." he said.

"And with that, I relieve you of duty. I will see you all again very soon once I return and I wish you all a speedy recovery." he finished.

Naruto shook hands real quick with Kiba's free hand while he leaned on his crutch. "Get well real quickly Kiba. I want my Best Man standing by my side on my wedding day." he told him with a proud smile.

"You'll have to gag me and chain me to a chair in the basement to keep me from showing up buddy." he shot back at him.

Akamaru barked up once at Naruto while he wagged his tail happily. "Okay." he said getting down on one knee and petting the young pup. "Good Boy." he told him.

Once everyone had said their goodbyes, everyone went their separate ways with Minato, Anko and Ibiki going with Naruto and Temari to Suna while everyone else began their long walk home to Konoha. It was gonna take a few days and all the while, Anko wouldn't stop pestering Naruto and Temari ever since that one night they first slept together. No matter how many times they insisted that nothing happened between them, she wouldn't buy it. It also didn't help that Minato only encouraged her by teasing them as well. Now Minato knew that his son wouldn't have premarital sex and he knew Temari wanted to save that for their wedding night. But that didn't stop them from teasing his son and eventually, the both of them just gave up. There was simply no reasoning with them on this one.

Eventually the landscape changed from forest to grasslands and from grasslands into rockies and then into desert sand. It didn't take long at all before they saw the gates of Sunagakure No Sato and Naruto looked over to his bride to see tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I'm home." she said softly and full of emotion.

She felt Naruto take her hand and looked over to see him smiling up at her. "Let's not keep everyone waiting." he told her.

She smiled back and squeezed his hand in response. "Come on Naruto. I wanna show you my world." she told him as she led him to the village where she was born.

[Author's Notes] I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for such a long wait for an update everyone. Last couple of months have been absolute hell on earth for me and it's not just because my computer is broken. Most of it involves getting a new job, dealing with family drama both good and bad. Most of it good because one of my brothers just got married and another of my brothers just became a father which makes me an uncle. While all of this has been going on has been very nice, I haven't been able to focus on keeping my content coming like I hoped and once again to my readers, I'm so sorry for making you all wait so dame long.

Also, I had hoped to update all the old chapters and while I had done chapter ten, I still hadn't gotten to chapters eleven, twelve and thirteen yet. I'm just gonna do those when I get the chance and continue the story as it is. Everything will be so much better once I've got a new PC I promise but until then, just expect updates to be as slow and as painful as watching a slug race.

Anyhow, thank you all so much for reading my stories. As always, please leave me either a Review or a PM as I love getting em and if you have any ideas or thoughts you wanna share, please lay em on me because I love hearing from my readers.

This is Dragon1990 signing out :-)


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